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James M. Wahlrab, United States
Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio, announces the arrest of
fugitive James WETHERSPOON, a native
born Dayton resident who was wanted by the Jefferson County
Sheriff’s Department in Birmingham, Alabama for possession of
controlled substances and failing to register as a sex offender. The
Sheriff’s office had solicited the help of the United States
Marshals Service led Gulf Coast Regional Task Force (GCRTF) who
determined that WETHERSPOON had fled Alabama and headed back to his
hometown of Dayton, Ohio. WETHERSPOON was convicted of Rape and
Sexual Assault in Dayton in 1982 and has a prior arrest for failing
to register in Montgomery County in 2001.
Deputy U.S. Marshals first began looking for WETHERSPOON in the
Dayton area in September 2006. WETHERSPOON was being aided by
numerous family and friends and was able to stay hidden for several
months. However, due to various interviews and the efforts of the
task force, new leads were developed about WETHERSPOON’s
whereabouts. On the morning of May 29, Deputy U.S. Marshals and
officers from the Dayton Police Department responded to an apartment
complex at 2929 Hoover Ave. WETHERSPOON was located hiding in a
bedroom closet and was immediately taken into custody. One other
occupant, identified as Shelia FORD, was arrested on local charges
for obstruction and possessing drug paraphernalia. Both individuals
were transported to the Montgomery County Jail. WETHERSPOON is
awaiting extradition back to Birmingham.
The U.S. Marshals Service was America’s first federal law
enforcement agency and each year arrests more fugitives than all
other federal law enforcement agencies combined. |
