Baton
Rouge, LA – It was six days fugitives in the
Baton Rouge area did not expect and will not soon
forget. The United States Marshals Service and law
enforcement agencies from the nine Parishes that
make up the Middle District of Louisiana conducted
Operation Falcon 2008 (Federal and Local Cops
Organized Nationally) from June 16 through June 21.
Weeks of planning and preparation have produced
staggering results. Four teams of officers and
agents arrested 106 fugitives and cleared 232
outstanding felony warrants. Operation Falcon 2008
focused on fugitives wanted for sexual offenses to
include sex offender registration violations,
violent crimes against persons’ offenses, and
narcotics trafficking and possession violations.
This is the forth consecutive year that the U.S.
Marshals Service has conducted the FALCON operations
throughout the country.
Included in the 106 arrested were Larry D. Howard
and Michael A. Bell, Jr. Howard was wanted by the
Baton Rouge Police Department for Attempted First
Degree Murder, Illegal Use of a Weapon, and
Aggravated Criminal Damage to Property. Baton Rouge
Police Department detectives say that Howard
allegedly became angry during a dispute with several
victims and threw a stone through a window of their
residence. He then fired multiple shots into the
residence where three small children were hiding.
Falcon investigators obtained information where
Howard could be located and safely took him into
custody.
Bell was arrested in Gonzales by Operation Falcon
investigators. A previously convicted felon, Bell
was wanted by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office
for failure to appear in court on charges of
Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana.
During the arrest, Bell was found to be in
possession of approximately seven grams of
marijuana, a digital scale commonly used to weigh
illegal narcotics, a 12-gauge shotgun and over fifty
rounds of assorted ammunition. Bell was booked into
the APSO jail on the warrant pending additional
charges.
Other Arrests:
Charles Edward Young III was wanted by the East
Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office for Cruelty to a
Juvenile. Young is alleged to have intentionally
caused unjustifiable pain to a minor victim while
attending a bon fire in the Magnolia Beach Road area
of Greenwell Springs. Detectives believe that Young
stripped the intoxicated victim of his clothing and
dragged him around the fire causing burns to his
body. Young then allegedly used sticks from the fire
to burn the victim several times. Falcon
investigators obtained information where Young was
living and safely took him into custody.
Alex Chaney was arrested in Baton Rouge by the East
Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office (EBRSO) and
Operation Falcon investigators. Falcon investigators
responded to Chaney’s residence to serve a warrant
for failure to register as a convicted sex offender.
While securing the rear of the residence, Falcon
investigators observed Chaney performing sexual acts
with a dog. Chaney was contacted and taken into
custody. The EBRSO was contacted and arrested Chaney
for crimes against nature. The EBR Animal Control
responded to the scene and took custody of four dogs
living at the residence. The Louisiana Attorney
General’s Cyber Crimes Unit also responded to the
scene to take custody of a computer believed to
contain illegal pornography.
“Operation Falcon has been a huge success in the
Baton Rouge area the last three years,” said Carey
Jenkins, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of
Louisiana.
“This year was special because it allowed us to
continue the commitment of the local law enforcement
leaders to suppress crime in the communities by
getting the fugitives that have already committed
crimes off the streets. Many times the people
already wanted for committing crimes are the ones
continuing to engage in criminal activity,” said
Marshal Jenkins.
Operation FALCON 2008– Baton Rouge was comprised of
over 25 law enforcement agents from 13 contributing
agencies in the Capital Area. The agencies involved
in the operation were the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s
Office, Baton Rouge City Constable’s Office, Baton
Rouge Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives (AFT), Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), East Baton
Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, Iberville Parish
Sheriff’s Office, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s
Office, Louisiana Probation and Parole, Louisiana
State Police, Point Coupee Parish Sheriff’s Office,
Social Security Administration, and the United
States Probation Office.
Led by the U.S. Marshal Service, Operation FALCON is
an ongoing, multi-city, nationwide law enforcement
effort. Since June 1st, Operation FALCON 2008 has
netted 11,540 arrests and cleared nearly 15,000
warrants across the United States.
Since its inception in 2005, Operation FALCON has
made over 36,000 arrests and cleared over 45,000
warrants. It continues to be the largest and most
successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S.
Marshals history.
The U.S. Marshals Service also coordinates the
Middle Louisiana Fugitive Task Force, a multi-agency
task force that targets persons wanted for violent
crimes, narcotic offenses, and sexual offenders in
the Capital area and surrounding Parishes.
Supporting agencies are the Baton Rouge Police
Department, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s
Office, West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Offices,
Louisiana State Police, and the Louisiana State
Probation and Parole.
For more information on Operation FALCON, visit
http://www.usmarshals.gov/falcon08/media.htm
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