FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: July 15, 2008 Southern District of Ohio - Cincinnati DUSM John Loftis (513) 383-5139; USMS Headquarters Public Affairs (202) 307-9065   U.S. Marshals SOFAST Task Force Captures Escaped Fugitive From Georgia   Cincinnati, OH – On July 15, 2008, James M. Wahlrab, United States Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio (S/OH), announced the capture of fugitive Josh Dale Pointer (age 19) by the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST). Pointer escaped from the Hart County Jail in Hartwell, Georgia this past Sunday night (July 13, 2008) while facing prosecution for numerous burglaries. Pointer was temporarily being held at the Hart County Jail while serving a 20 year sentence at the Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Georgia for multiple burglary and motor vehicle theft charges from three different counties in Georgia. Pointer was able to force his way out of his holding cell and scale a fence at the jail to make his escape. He is suspected of stealing a vehicle before fleeing the area. The United States Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF) based out of Macon, Georgia began searching for Pointer. Information was obtained that Pointer may be on his way to the Cincinnati, Ohio area. On July 15, 2008, SOFAST TFOs began surveillance of a relative of Pointer’s in Fairfield, Ohio and within a short time observed Pointer pull up to the residence in the vehicle that was reported stolen near the jail in Georgia. TFOs immediately surrounded Pointer and placed him under arrest. The stolen vehicle that Pointer was observed driving was subsequently impounded by the Fairfield Police Department. Pointer was transported and booked into the Butler County Jail where he will await extradition proceedings to Georgia. U.S. Marshal James M. Wahlrab states, “The law enforcement community of Southern Ohio does their best at quickly capturing those individuals that want to use our community as a safe refuge from justice.” SOFAST is a team made up of law enforcement officers from the Cincinnati Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Lockland Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio Office of the Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.” The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. U.S. Marshals annually capture more federal fugitives than all other federal law enforcement agencies combined.