The
FBI Announces New Information Regarding Top Ten Fugitive
Clayton Lee Waagner
The
FBI today is requesting the public's assistance for information
leading to the arrest of FBI Top Ten Fugitive and U. S.
Marshals Service Top 15 Fugitive Clayton Lee Waagner.
Waagner had previously been convicted on charges of possession
of a firearm by a felon and interstate transportation
of a stolen motor vehicle. He escaped from the Dewitt
County Jail in Clinton, Illinois, on February 22, 2001,
where he was awaiting sentencing and facing a term of
15 years to life. Since his escape, Waagner is believed
to have committed a number of bank robberies. Waagner
has been formally charged with the robbery of a First
Union Bank in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
During
Labor Day weekend, 2001, Waagner abandoned a vehicle in
Memphis, Tennessee, following a hit and run accident.
Authorities recovered various items from the vehicle including
a rifle, a shotgun, a pipe bomb, and anti-abortion literature.
That same weekend, Waagner fled the area after committing
a carjacking in nearby Tunica, Mississippi. Waagner had
previously testified that he is an "anti-abortion
warrior" and admitted to stalking abortion clinics
around the country.
During the second week of October 2001, more than 280
letters that threatened to contain anthrax were mailed
to women's reproductive health clinics on the east coast.
The envelopes were marked "Time Sensitive" and
"Urgent Security Notice Enclosed." The envelopes
also bore return addresses of the U.S. Marshals Service
or the U.S. Secret Service. During the first week of November
2001 a second series of more than 270 anthrax threat letters
were sent to women's reproductive health clinics via Federal
Express.
Over
Thanksgiving weekend, authorities received information
that Clayton Lee Waagner has claimed responsibility for
sending these letters to women's reproductive health clinics.
The
FBI considers Waagner to be the primary suspect. He is
extremely intelligent and computer savvy. He has proven
to be extremely resourceful in eluding law enforcement
authorities and should be considered armed and extremely
dangerous. There is a $50,000 reward for any information
leading to his capture.
The
FBI considers Waagner's threats and all threats against
abortion providers to be serious violations of Federal
law, and violators will be prosecuted to the full extent
of the law.
It should be noted that these letters are not associated
with the letters sent to the offices of Senators Dashle
and Leahy which actually did contain anthrax.
This
investigation is a joint law enforcement effort between
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals
Service, the U.S. Postal Service, the Bureau of Alcohol
Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and various state and local
police agencies.
Any
information regarding Clayton Lee Waagner can be reported
to your local FBI office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the
U.S. Postal Service, ATF, or your local police. Additional
information regarding Waagner may be obtained by visiting
the FBI website at http://www.fbi.gov
or the U.S. Marshals' Service website at http://www.usdoj.gov/marshals.
Waagner
is described as a white male, 6' 1'', 175 to 220 pounds,
with brown hair and green eyes. He was born in North Dakota
on August 25, 1956 and uses numerous aliases. Due to possible
frostbite injuries, Waagner may have limited use of his
left hand and may, at times, walk with a limp. Waagner
is also known to be a heavy smoker and gambler and to
drink Crown Royal bourbon.
