Phoenix, AZ – Late yesterday morning
Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers from the Phoenix based Child
Predator Apprehension Team in addition to the Northern California Fugitive
Task Force arrested fugitive sex offender and former Catholic Priest
Wilputte Alanson Sherwood, 63, as he was leaving the Most Holy Redeemer
Catholic Church in San Francisco, California.
Wilputte Sherwood was originally convicted in 1993 of Sexual Conduct with a
Minor, Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and Dangerous Crimes
against Children in Maricopa County. It was alleged that Sherwood kept
extensive logs and video tapes of many of his sexual encounters with
numerous underage boys. Sherwood subsequently served 10 years in an Arizona
prison and was released in 2003. It has been reported Sherwood targeted over
3600 individuals for sexual interludes spanning 12 years and five different
parishes. It is estimated Sherwood had over 1800 sexual affairs resulting
from Sherwood roaming the streets of Phoenix targeting hitchhikers and
runaways. Upon his release Sherwood was placed on lifetime probation and was
required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. In
2005, Sherwood absconded from probation and fled the Phoenix area not be
heard from again until yesterday. In March 2008, Sherwood was named as the
Most Wanted Sex Offender by the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department.
Recently Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers from both Phoenix, AZ
and San Francisco, CA conducted a joint fugitive investigation which
developed information that Sherwood was residing in the Castro District in
San Francisco. Yesterday morning Deputies and Task Force Officers
established surveillance on Sherwood and followed him to a local San
Francisco church where he was positively identified. After the service,
Sherwood was arrested without incident. Sherwood was booked into a
California jail, where he awaits extradition proceedings for his return to
Arizona. Sherwood is also pending federal charges for failing to register as
a sex offender.
United States Marshal David Gonzales praised the work of Deputies and law
enforcement officers adding, “The U.S. Marshals, along with our state and
local partners, will spare no expense in going after predators like Wilputte
Sherwood. We are committed to making sure those who are required to register
as sex offenders are held accountable for their failure to do so.”
The full-time federal, state, 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
Department; Mesa Police Department; Surprise Police Department; Phoenix
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 Top 15 fugitives and USMS Major
Cases, go to www.usmarshals.gov.
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Further information regarding Sherwood can be
found at the below listed links.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2003_11_14_AP_WilputteAlanson_Wilputte_Alanson_Sherwood_2.htm
http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/AdultProbation/docs/top_ten_fug.pdf
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1993-09-08/news/the-sins-of-the-bishop/
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