For Immediate Release

Ashland, OH – This morning, members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force in the Eastern District of Louisiana arrested John C. Wright Jr. at a residence in New Orleans, Louisiana. Wright, age 29, was wanted by the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office on an August 23, 2011 arrest warrant for failing to verify current address (as a registered sex offender) and by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority on a July 8, 2011 arrest warrant for violating the conditions of his parole.

In June 2007, Wright was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance. Wright was 24 years old at the time of the incident offense and his conduct in this case involved a 15 year old boy. As a result of this conviction, Wright was classified as a tier III sexually violent predator and required by law to register every 120 days for the rest of his life. Wright was also sentenced to 2 years and 6 months incarceration and in October 2009 released from prison and placed on 5 years of post-release control. In July 2011, the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation into the whereabouts of Wright after he failed to register as required by law. After Wright could not be located in the Ashland County area an arrest warrant was issued and in January 2012, the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force initiated a fugitive investigation.

The investigation led to New Orleans, Louisiana and members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force in New Orleans located Wright living at a residence in the city, only two blocks from a school. The investigation also revealed that after leaving Ohio in June 2011, Wright traveled to Pennsylvania briefly and has been living unregistered in New Orleans since October 2011. Authorities in New Orleans are currently considering local charges as well.

Captain Carl Richert, of the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, was notified of the arrest and stated, “This is yet another example of why our Sheriff’s Office partnered up with the U.S. Marshals. When a dangerous sex offender goes on the run, members of the Task Force can combine resources and locate that individual to bring them back to justice. In this case, we were able to locate Wright 1000 miles away where he again failed to register. Taking unregistered sex offenders such as Wright off the street of any community will definitely make it a much safer place to live.”

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of a known fugitive is encouraged to contact the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at: 1-866-4-WANTED. Callers may remain anonymous and a cash reward may be available. The Task Force’s “Dangerous Dozen” fugitives can be viewed at http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/oh-n/fugitives/pdf/dangerous_dozen.pdf, which is updated monthly.

The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force - Richland County Division is composed of the following federal, state and local agencies: Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, Ashland Municipal Probation, Ashland Police Department, Bellville Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, Butler Police Department, Crestline Police Department, Galion Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Loudonville Police Department, Mansfield Municipal Probation, Mansfield Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ontario Police Department, Plymouth Police Department, Richland County Probation, Richland County Prosecutor’s Office, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

####

America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency