|
Fayetteville, AR – After 14 years on the
run, Bobby Alton Blanchard is now behind bars, and the Northwest Arkansas
Sex Offender and Violent Crime Task Force made it happen. Blanchard, 51, was
arrested at approximately 3:00 pm on Tuesday, March 25, in Peel, Arkansas.
He was wanted on charges of sexual battery and statutory rape in Lewis
County, Tennessee. Blanchard assumed the name of Mickey Lee Sutton more than
12 years ago and alluded capture for more than 14 years until U.S. Marshals
brought his run to a halt.
The U.S. Marshals Service in Nashville,
Tennessee adopted the fugitive case against Blanchard at the request of the
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and subsequently forwarded a lead to the
Marshals in Fayetteville. The Northwest Arkansas Task Force aggressively
worked the case for more than a month, and through various investigative
means, was able to locate and apprehend Blanchard, who admitted his
identity.
The Northwest Arkansas Sex Offender and
Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of Benton, Washington, Madison, and
Carroll Counties, as well as Fayetteville,
Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, and Siloam
Springs Police Departments. The U.S. Marshals in Muskogee, Oklahoma and the
Marion County, Arkansas Sheriff’s Office provided valuable assistance in
this case. Blanchard was arrested without incident and is currently awaiting
state extradition to Lewis County, Tennessee. Blanchard has been officially
wanted since October 1994.
Last year, U.S. Marshals Service led fugitive
task forces arrested more than 56,000 state/local fugitives, clearing more
than 70,000 state/local felony warrants. |
