FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: December 17, 2007 Justin Pierce, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marshall, Texas (903) 935-5737   Former New England Patriot Arrested By U.S. Marshals   On 12/12/2007, John Milton Stephens 41, a former NFL star and U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive was arrested on a state warrant issued by Shelby County authorities for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Stephens was apprehended in Greenwood, Louisiana by members of the U.S. Marshals Western Louisiana Fugitive Task Force. The information that led to the arrest resulted from a joint investigation by the Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force (JETF), Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and the Western Louisiana Fugitive Task Force in Shreveport. Stephens was convicted of Sexual Assault in Kansas City, Missouri on March 1, 1996. Stephens was sentenced to five years probation and was required to register as a sex offender. Stephens became a fugitive when a Warrant was issued for his arrest for failure to update his sex offender registration. In November 2007, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department contacted the U.S. Marshals in Marshall, TX requesting assistance in locating Stephens. Information developed by investigators with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals indicated Stephens was in the Western part of Louisiana. East Texas Deputy Marshals coordinated with the Deputy Marshals in Shreveport to locate and arrest Stephens. Stephens was arrested by the Western Louisiana Fugitive Task Force in the early morning hours of Wednesday December 12, 2007. He was booked into Caddo Parish Detention Center on that same day and was later extradited across state lines by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to face the charges. Stephens was selected by the New England Patriots in the 1st round (17th overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 220 lbs. running back from Northwestern State University in Louisiana, Stephens played in 6 NFL seasons from 1988-1993 for the Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Kansas City Chiefs. The Adam Walsh Act was passed by Congress on July 27, 2006. The Adam Walsh Act specifically mentions the U.S. Marshals Service as the federal agency to assist local agencies in locating sex offenders who have violated registration requirements. The mission of the USMS is to protect the public from sex offenders through the coordinated enforcement of sex offender registration laws.