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For Immediate Release |
Contact: |
| February 24, 2009 |
Southern District of Ohio Brian Babtist (614) 402-7029 |
| Task Force Nets Sex Offenders with Help from Crime Stoppers |
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Columbus, OH – Today the people of
Central Ohio rest a little easier with the capture of five fugitive sex
offenders. Last week Columbus television station WBNS Channel 10 along with
Central Ohio Crime Stoppers profiled 10 of the most wanted fugitives in the
Columbus area. The Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team,
S.O.F.A.S.T., a U.S. Marshals Service led task force comprised of federal,
state, and local law enforcement organizations, was on the street
simultaneously making the arrests. Central Ohio viewers showed their support
by phoning in tips to Crime Stoppers regarding the whereabouts of these
dangerous predators. The results were good, overall the tips helped locate 5
of the “worst of the worst” sex offenders. Kevin Miles, Coordinator of
Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, said that their organization was “very
impressed with the Task Force and their ability to identify and locate 50
percent of the fugitives that were featured.” One of the dangerous fugitives arrested during last week’s roundup was sex offender James Whiteside. “Crime Stoppers received an anonymous phone tip that Whiteside might be working in the area of 3117 Southfield Road in Columbus. Crime Stoppers then passed that information along to authorities”, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Babtist. When task force officers arrived at the location, Whiteside was spotted in a vehicle. When Whiteside realized that officers were closing in, he bailed out of the vehicle and a foot chase ensued. Whiteside was then captured behind 3019 Southfield Road attempting to hide in some brush. Whiteside has been wanted since January 21, 2009 when he stopped registering as a sex offender and violated his probation. Whiteside was previously convicted of Gross Sexual Imposition and was required to register as a resident in the community. “The Adam Walsh Act makes it a federal felony for convicted sex offenders to fail to register with their local authorities” according to Babtist. He also added that, “The Marshals Service was designated by the Act as the agency to lead the national effort to track down and arrest these fugitive felons.” S.O.F.A.S.T. is a multi-agency fugitive apprehension team that is comprised of the following law enforcement agencies in the Columbus area: U. S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Division of Police, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ross County Sheriff’s Office, Grove City Police Department, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, U.S. Department of Agriculture – OIG, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Division of Fire, Reynoldsburg Police Department, Whitehall Police Department, Grandview Heights Police Department, Lancaster Police Department, and the Worthington Police Department. Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov. |