East Valley Law Enforcement Efforts Track Down Career Criminal Wanted for Murder

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For Immediate Release	Contact:
February 12, 2009	Matt Hershey, Deputy U.S. Marshal Public Affairs Officer (602) 920-4841

East Valley Law Enforcement Efforts Track Down
Career Criminal Wanted for Murder in California

Mesa, AZ – On February 10, 2009, members of the Mesa Police Department’s Major Felons Unit and the Arizona WANTED Task Force arrested Dwight Niblett at a residence in Mesa.

Dwight Niblett, 48, was wanted by the Los Angeles Police Department in connection with a murder that occurred in Los Angeles in July 2008. Niblett was also wanted by the California Department of Corrections for a parole violation. He was on parole for selling cocaine in 2006. In July 2008, it is alleged that Niblett was involved in a physical altercation in Los Angeles, after the altercation Niblett located the victim in a convenience store in Los Angeles and shot the victim in the head at point blank range, killing him. On February 5, 2009, the U.S. Marshals Service’s Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force located in Los Angeles requested assistance from the Arizona WANTED Task Force in Phoenix to locate and arrest Niblett.

Arizona WANTED Task Force Commander Rick Taylor added, “Criminals wanted in other jurisdictions will not find safe havens in Arizona. Our cooperative efforts with East Valley Law Enforcement Agencies are strong and we pursue until we find.”

The full-time federal, state, county, and local agencies that comprise the Arizona WANTED include: U.S. Marshals Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Arizona Department of Public Safety; Maricopa County Adult Probation Office; Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office; Mesa Police Department; Chandler Police Department; Tempe Police Department; Surprise Police Department; El Mirage Police Department and several part-time state and local law enforcement agencies.

The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Annually, U.S. Marshals arrest more than 50 percent of all federal fugitives and serve more federal warrants than all other federal agencies combined. For more information on other USMS 15 Most Wanted fugitives and USMS Major Cases, go to www.usmarshals.gov.