Category: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Denver, CO – The U.S. Marshals Service’s Colorado Violent Offender Task Force (COVOTF) assisted multiple agencies with the capture of a wanted fugitive in the San Luis Valley yesterday.

After a daylong manhunt, Henry Corral, 44, was arrested through a joint-effort comprised of six different law enforcement agencies. Corral is facing multiple felony charges related to a triple-shooting incident that took place at the Sunset Inn Hotel in the early hours this past Sunday.

Members from the COVOTF, including Deputy U.S. Marshals based out of Colorado Springs and Task Force Officers (TFOs) from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Fountain Police Department, and Colorado Department of Corrections deployed south to Alamosa after the request for assistance came in. The U.S. Marshals Service’s Air Surveillance Unit in Denver also deployed and assisted in the multi-agency manhunt. Once in the area, the COVOTF team linked up with both the Alamosa Police Department and Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office to join in the search for Corral. The COVOTF team conducted numerous interviews and assisted in chasing down leads that took them as far west as Del Norte, Colorado, before a tip came in from a local resident who spotted Corral at a farm near the intersection of County Road 106 South and County Road 10 S, approximately five miles southwest of Alamosa.

The COVOTF team, along with law enforcement officers from Alamosa P.D. and Sheriff’s Offices, set up a perimeter around the property where Corral was spotted. With assistance from the U.S. Marshal’s Air Surveillance Unit, Corral was located and taken into custody.

“I’d like to recognize and thank the tipster for the information they provided that directly led to the arrest of this dangerous fugitive,” said District of Colorado U.S. Marshal Kirk Taylor. “I would also like to thank and recognize the incredible work of all involved Law Enforcement Officers who pursued Corral with limited information, and yet were able to still safely take him into custody.”

The arrest of this fugitive represents a culmination of extensive cooperative efforts between the U.S. Marshals Colorado Violent Offender Task Force, Alamosa Police Department, Alamosa Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Land Management, Fountain Police Department, and Colorado Department of Corrections.

The charges pending against Corral are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Please direct any follow up regarding pending criminal charges to the Alamosa Police Department and Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office.

The Colorado Violent Offender Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional fugitive task force that targets the most violent offenders to include those wanted for murder, assault, sex offenses, and other serious offenses throughout the state and country. 

Nationally, the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, eight regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries. Follow us on Twitter @USMSDenver.

Source: US Marshals Service

By Emily Neece, Office of Public Affairs

The United States Marshals Service (USMS) acknowledges June 27th as National PTSD Awareness Day in an attempt to reduce stigmatization about the disorder. According to the National Center for PTSD, roughly 12 million Americans have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a given year; however, only half of Americans with the disorder get diagnosed due to negative stereotypes.

PTSD is a mental health problem that occurs after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event. Because law enforcement officers face traumatic events as a part of their job, they are at greater risk of developing PTSD.

“Having a national awareness day allows everyone to focus on PTSD,” said Deborah Eason, the Deputy Chief of the USMS Employee Assistance Program and a licensed clinical social worker. “It gives us the opportunity to provide resources and education around the topic, especially in the law enforcement community.”

In her role as Deputy Chief, Eason leads a team of clinicians to provide free counseling sessions for USMS employees and their families. The sessions are just one of the many resources offered by the EAP and serve as a reminder of USMS’s daily commitment to strengthening mental health.

Eason says that misinformation about PTSD is one of the biggest reasons people do not seek a diagnosis. In her opinion, stigma is heavier within the law enforcement community due to fears of job preparedness.

“It happens all the time,” said Eason. “We have to dispel the myths and rumors that seeking out help is somehow a weakness.”

One way to support people with PTSD is to get educated on the signs. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, common symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance, restlessness, difficulty concentrating and feelings of fear, anger, guilt or shame. Symptoms generally emerge within three months of a traumatic event though it is important to understand that PTSD does not follow a fixed timeline.

“I think that the biggest myth is that people feel like they have to live with PTSD,” Eason said. “PTSD is treatable.”

During counseling sessions, USMS clinicians use a variety of treatments including Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

National PTSD Awareness Day was first recognized in 2010 following the passage of a Senate resolution, making 2024 its 14th year.

If you believe you or a loved one have PTSD, visit the National Center for PTSD for more resources on how to seek help.

Source: US Marshals Service

Columbus, OH – The U.S. Marshals arrested fugitive Kenyatta Glass on June 24, 2024.

Kenyatta Glass was wanted by the Columbus Division of Police for Murder. Glass was charged with Murder in Franklin County Municipal Court after an investigation by the Columbus Division of Police Homicide Unit. Glass allegedly shot and killed Shawn Grooms in the 600 Block of Channing way Blvd. in Columbus on September 3, 2023. The U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) adopted the case, and discovered Glass fled the Columbus, Ohio area. On June 24, 2024, Glass was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, and Georgia State Patrol SWAT in the 1400 Block of Braxford Trace, Lawrenceville, GA. Glass was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail and awaits an extradition court hearing in GA.

“The United States Marshals Service, through its fugitive task forces, assists state and local agencies by sharing our nationwide resources with our law enforcement partners to bring those who try to run and hide to justice. The U.S. Marshals and Columbus Division of Police work together daily to locate fugitives accused of violent crimes to help make our community safer- Michael D. Black, United States Marshal. 

Columbus SOFAST is a fugitive-focused, U.S. Marshals Service-led task force consisting of local, state and federal authorities including the Columbus Division of Police, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bexley Police Department, Capital University Police Department, Delaware County Probation Office, Groveport Police Department, Hocking County Sheriff’s Office, Lancaster Police Department, Ohio Attorney General Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal, Office of Inspector General Social Security Administration, United States Attorney’s Office, Utica Police Department, Whitehall Police Department, and Zanesville Police Department.

Anyone with information on any fugitive may submit an anonymous web tip via the USMS Tips App.
 

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Source: US Marshals Service

Syracuse, NY – A U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted fugitive who was arrested in Mexico in January extradited today to New York to face the charges against him in Albany County in the 2019 murder of an infant.

Anthony Ojeda, aka Erik Jonathan Donas-Ojeda, 42, who was added to the 15 Most Wanted list in May 2022, was wanted by the Cohoes Police Department in New York for homicide.

On Jan. 24, Anthony Ojeda and his husband Neil Garzon were captured in Mexico City, Mexico, after more than two years on the run together.

Ojeda has been in the custody of Mexican authorities pending formal extradition proceedings from the Republic of Mexico. Garzon was returned to the U.S. Jan. 26 by Mexico authorities to face the charges against him in Albany County of endangering the welfare of a child and hindering prosecution.

“I am very pleased that members of the United States Marshals Service, with the devoted cooperation of the Cohoes Police, the New York State Police, the U.S. Marshals Foreign Field Office in Mexico, and Interpol Mexico, succeeded in locating and extraditing these two fugitives from justice from the country of Mexico,” said David McNulty, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of New York. “And that they are both now back in the Capitol District to face prosecution and justice for 6-week-old Eli Ojeda.”

On Dec. 3, 2019, the Cohoes Police Department and local emergency medical services responded to a Cohoes area apartment for an unresponsive 6-week-old boy. The child, Eli Ojeda, died at the hospital.

The subsequent investigation and autopsy revealed the baby died of acute methamphetamine toxicity and physical trauma.

As a result, Ojeda, who claimed to be the child’s father, was charged with second-degree murder. Both Ojeda and Garzon were arraigned and later released on bond.

On Aug. 24, 2021, Ojeda failed to appear for a scheduled court appearance and made no notifications to the court regarding his absence. It was later determined that Ojeda and Garzon fled the area together to avoid prosecution. The Cohoes Police Department then formally requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals in the Northern District of New York with locating and apprehending Ojeda and Garzon.

INTERPOL–Mexico conducted the arrest of Ojeda with the support of U.S. Marshals from the Mexico Foreign Field Office and from the Northern District of New York.

CDMX Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana Police and Fiscalia del Estado de Mexico conducted the arrest of Garzon with the support of U.S. Marshals from the Mexico Foreign Field Office and from the Northern District of New York.

The USMS credits INTERPOL-Mexico, Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM), CDMX Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana Police and Fiscalia del Estado de Mexico for their critical assistance. During this investigation, the U.S. Marshals partnered with INTERPOL-Mexico, the Cohoes Police Department, the New York State Police, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, and the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance.

U.S. Marshals work with the international law enforcement community to apprehend fugitives abroad as well as to seek foreign fugitives living or residing in the United States. The Marshals protect the public from international fugitives through coordinated enforcement efforts with foreign and domestic law enforcement.

The USMS 15 Most Wanted fugitive program draws attention to some of the country’s most dangerous and high-profile fugitives. These fugitives tend to be career criminals with histories of violence who pose a significant threat to public safety.

Generally, 15MW fugitives are considered the “worst of the worst” and can include murderers, sex offenders, major drug kingpins, organized crime figures and individuals wanted for high-profile financial crimes. Since the program began in 1983, more than 250 15MW fugitive cases have been closed.

The USMS has a long history of providing assistance and expertise to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in support of their fugitive investigations. Working with authorities at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels, USMS-led fugitive task forces arrested more than 73,000 fugitives and cleared more than 86,000 warrants in FY 2023.