Dallas, TX - The United States Marshals Service for the Northern District of Texas announced today the completion of a three day operation to locate, apprehend, and bring to justice individuals in the DFW area wanted on sex related charges. The Marshals Service fugitive task force, The Dallas Fort Worth Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (DFW FAST), served as the mechanism that teamed up officers from over twenty other federal, state, and local agencies. The three day operation resulted in 30 subjects arrested, with a combined criminal history that reflects 173 prior arrests, 27 of these being for Sex Offenses. Dennis Matthews, wanted for Failure to Register as a sex offender by the Fort Worth Police Department, was arrested locate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. DFW FAST developed information identifying Matthews location and using the Marshals Service network of Fugitive Task Forces forwarded the information to the Marshals Service in Milwaukee. Matthews was arrested within three hours. Criminal history records for Matthews reveal a lengthy history including arrests for armed robbery, rape, and indecency with a child.

According to United States Marshal Randy Ely, “By leveraging our resources and working smarter and more effectively in initiatives such as this operation, we can finally bring to bear the proper resources to identify, locate, and apprehend sex offenders.”

Anthony Peace was identified as a primary target for law enforcement due to his lengthy criminal history for burglary, weapons violations, terrorist threats, aggravated assault, public orders crimes, drugs, and sexual assault on a child. Peace was wanted for sexual assault by the Dallas Police Department. Peace was arrested in Dallas, Texas without incident during the second day of the operation. According to Rhode Island Law Enforcement, Luis Pabon was wanted in Rhode Island for Failure to Register as a sex offender. Pabon extensive criminal history from several states includes arrests for larceny, property damage, evading arrest, assault, sexual assault, assault to cause bodily injury to family member, child molestation, stalking, terrorist threats, unlawful restraint, burglary, and unlawful use of vehicle. Again using the network of United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Forces, the District of Rhode Island sent information to DFW FAST with possible addresses for subject. DFW FAST was able to locate subject in Arlington, Texas and arrest him without incident marking the final arrest of the three day initial phase of the operation. The completion of the three day operation marks the beginning of a long term operation that will continue to focus on sex offenders. Offenses that are being specifically targeted are those who are non-compliant in state required sex offender registration, sex offenses against children, violent and egregious sexual offenses, and other sex offenses in general. Individuals arrested for failure to register will be further processed for possible prosecution in federal court under guidelines of the recently enacted Adam Walsh Act. Both Pabon and Matthews may now face federal charges under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.

“Since the passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, the United States Marshals Service has been working diligently with local, state, and federal law enforcement to protect our communities from active sex offenders. I want to thank the law enforcement administrators and officers who participated in the three day launch of an initiative that is dedicated to protecting the most innocent among us” – United States Marshal Randy Ely

DFW FAST was established in January 2004 and has arrested over 9,000 violent fugitives, 1344 of the subjects arrested were wanted on sex related crimes. These arrests have prevented some of  these suspects from continuing to victimize an unsuspecting public and making our area a safer place to live, work and play. DFW FAST is diverse task force consisting of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies from the Dallas and Fort Worth area.

For more information about DFW FAST:
http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/tx-n/taskforces/index.html