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For Immediate Release |
Contact: |
| February 12, 2009 |
Corey Britt, Deputy United States Marshal Lafayette, Louisiana (337) 262-6792 |
| North Carolina Fugitive Arrested Near Crowley |
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On Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at approximately
12:00 p.m. forty-four year old John Scott Gardner was arrested by U.S.
Marshals and Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Deputies off Leger Road outside the
city limits of Crowley. Gardner was Wanted by the Rockingham County
Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina for Sexual Assault of a Child. On Tuesday night, Deputy U.S. Marshals in North Carolina obtained information that Gardner was in the Crowley, LA area. Given the nature of the offense, they contacted Deputies from the Lafayette office who began researching the case. On Wednesday morning, Deputy U.S. Marshals in Lafayette contacted the Acadia Parish Sheriffs Office; the two agencies compiled their resources and began the process of narrowing down where in Crowley Gardner may be. Not long after, deputies believed that Gardner was at a home off Leger Road staying with a friend. Just before 12:00 p.m. Deputies surrounded the home Gardner was believed to be in, knocked on the door and after about a minute Gardner came out with his hands in the air. Gardner was taken to the Acadia Parish Jail, booked on the North Carolina Warrant, and is awaiting extradition back to North Carolina to face his charges. The United States Marshal for the Western District of Louisiana said, “The coordinated effort of all law enforcement to bring dangerous criminals to justice ensures that the streets and neighborhoods of Louisiana are a safer place to raise our children.” Annually, investigations carried out by the U.S. Marshals result in the apprehension of approximately 34,000 federal fugitives. More federal fugitives are arrested by Marshals than all other federal agencies combined. The Western District of Louisiana’s Task Force is a team comprised of law enforcement officers from agencies throughout the Western part of Louisiana (Shreveport, Monroe, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Opelousas, and Lafayette). The task force objective is to seek out and arrest federal, state, and local fugitives, mainly those with violent criminal histories to include sex offenders. In 2007, U.S. Marshals task forces arrested more than 56,600 state and local fugitives on felony charges. Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov. |