Category: US Marshals Service

Austin, TX – Members of the U.S. Marshals-led Lone Star Fugitive Task Force Wednesday afternoon arrested a man sought on a charge of murder that was obtained in a City of Austin Municipal Court by the Austin Police Department on Dec 12.

Melcolm Martin Lee, AKA, “Tanto”, 24, of Austin was a suspect wanted for a homicide that occurred in the spring of 2023 in the 1200 block of S. 6th Street in Austin, when the Travis County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip about a homicide that occurred at a transient camp located in the West Bouldin Creek Greenbelt. 

On Nov. 29, the Austin Police Department conducted a field search with a K-9 cadaver dog search team and located human skeletal remains. The human remains were carefully recovered by members of the Austin Police Homicide Unit, Crime Scene Unit, and the Travis County Medical Examiner under direct supervision by the Texas State Anthropology Department. 

On Dec. 12, the Austin Police Department requested assistance from the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force to locate and apprehend Lee, who was last known to be transient in the Austin community. 

Members of the task force initiated a fugitive investigation and approached Lee at a transient encampment located in the 3400 block of Parker Lane, where he attempted to flee from officers and was taken into custody with assistance provided by the Austin Police K-9 Unit.

Lee was transported and booked into the Travis County Jail where he will await further judicial proceedings.

Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in Austin:

• Austin Police Department-Tactical Intelligence Unit
• Georgetown, Round Rock, and San Marcos Police Department
• Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson County Sheriff’s Office
• Texas Attorney General’s Office
• Texas Department of Criminal Justice OIG
• Texas Department of Public Safety
• U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement
• U.S. DHS/Homeland Security Investigations

Clarksburg, WV – A Kingwood man who was wanted for attempted murder has been arrested in Fairmont.

Tre Tramal Waddy, 38, was arrested today around 3:30 PM at a residence on Harlee St. Waddy was wanted by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force in Monongalia County for attempted murder. Waddy was arrested by the US Marshals Service with assistance from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Waddy and another man are alleged to have shot at an individual outside of a nightclub on Earl L Core Road in Morgantown on June 10. During the shooting, no one was injured. A warrant for his arrest was issued on November 9. The Mon Metro Drug Task Force requested assistance in locating Waddy shortly after the warrant was issued. Following the request for assistance, Deputy U.S. Marshals immediately began searching for Waddy.

During attempts to locate Waddy, Investigators learned he was believed to be staying at the residence on Harlee St. Prior to the arrest, Deputies were conducting surveillance of the home and positively identified Waddy at the residence. Officers on scene surrounded the residence and ordered Waddy to surrender from the home over a loudspeaker. Waddy initially attempted to flee out of the rear of the residence but was encountered by perimeter officers and retreated into the residence. After a short period, Waddy exited the residence and surrendered. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Waddy will appear before a Marion County Magistrate for his initial appearance on the charges.

If detained, he will be lodged at the North Central Regional Jail.

Charlotte, NC – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) for the Western District of North Carolina, working with Mint Hill Police Department (MHPD) detectives and Randolph County Sheriff’s deputies, on Tuesday located and recovered a Mint Hill juvenile who has been missing since December 3.

The Mint Hill Police Department requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service to locate the missing juvenile.

Investigators developed information that led to a residence in the 4700 Block of Pike Street in Archdale and while at the residence located the missing 15-year-old girl.

MHPD transported the missing juvenile back to Mint Hill, where she was reunited with her guardians.

“I would like to thank the Mint Hill Police Department and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this case,” said Terry J. Burgin, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of North Carolina. “The U.S. Marshals Service is fully committed to assisting local agencies with locating and recovering endangered missing children, in addition to their primary fugitive apprehension mission. Our message to missing children and their families is that we will never stop looking for you!”

In May 2015, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) was passed and clarified the USMS’s discretionary authority to support law enforcement requests for assistance on any missing child cases. As such, the USMS assists state, local, and other federal law enforcement agencies, upon request, in locating and recovering missing children, while focusing agency resources on “critically missing child” cases – those that involve a suspected crime of violence or where factors are identified by law enforcement that indicates an elevated risk to a missing child.

Since the passage of the JVTA in 2015, the USMS has contributed to the location or recovery of 3,322 (as of Dec. 15, 2023) missing children.

Ripley, TN – On December 18, 2023, U.S. Marshals in Memphis captured a Dallas, Texas murder fugitive, Kemone Rudd, in Ripley, Tennessee.

On December 14th, Michael Pierson was shot and killed inside a Dallas business. The following day, Dallas police issued an arrest warrant for Kemone Rudd, 25. After receiving a request for assistance, the case was adopted by the U.S Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force in Dallas.

On December 17th, the North Texas Fugitive Task Force learned that Rudd had connections to West Tennessee and could possibly be in the area. The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force in Memphis was notified and began to search for Rudd.

In the late afternoon of December 18th, the Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) and members of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office went to an address in the 300 block of Maple Hill Circle in Ripley, Tennessee. Rudd was located there and taken into custody without incident. He is currently being held at the Lauderdale County Jail awaiting extradition back to Texas.

The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force within Western Tennessee. The Western Tennessee Division of the TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby County, Fayette, and Tipton County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis Police and Jackson Police Officers, and the Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents. The primary mission of the Task Force is to arrest violent offenders and sexual predators.

Columbus, OH – The U.S. Marshals in Southern Alabama arrested Clarence Ellis on January 4, 2024.

Clarence Ellis was wanted by the Columbus Division of Police for Murder. Ellis was charged in the Franklin County Municipal Court for allegedly using a firearm to shoot and kill Derrius Morgan in the 2000 Block of McGuffey Road, Columbus. on July 12, 2023. The U.S. Marshal’s Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) adopted the fugitive investigation. During the investigation it was learned Ellis likely fled to Alabama. Ellis was safely apprehended in the 1000 Block of Honeysuckle Road, Dothan, AL by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force. Ellis is now in the custody of the Houston County Jail in AL.

“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 and 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, Cambridge Police Department, Capital University Police Department, Delaware County Probation Office, Groveport Police Department, Hocking County Sheriff’s Office, Lancaster Police Department, Mount Vernon 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, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Whitehall Police Department, and Zanesville Police Department.

Anyone with information on any fugitive may submit an anonymous web tip.

Washington, DC – The U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF) is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a DC man wanted for assault with a dangerous weapon following a Dec. 8 shooting in northwest DC.

Jaleel Fowler, 25, is alleged to have shot and injured a juvenile inside the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro Station. 

Metro Transit Police Department responded to the scene that afternoon and located a juvenile male victim. He was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released.

Through their investigation, detectives identified Fowler as the suspect in the shooting.  

Fowler should be considered armed and dangerous.

Crime Solvers of Washington, DC, is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and/or indictment, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service announced an additional reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.

Anyone with information on Fowler’s whereabouts is asked to call 1-844-MTPDTIP (687-3847) or email mtpdtips1@wmata.com.

Tips may also be submitted via the USMS Tips App.

Founded in June 2004 to locate and apprehend fugitives wanted for violent crimes, the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force is composed of 13 federal and 120 state and local agencies and operates throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.  Since its inception the CARFTF has arrested more than 98,800 fugitives.  

Were you contacted by someone pretending to be a U.S. marshal? Report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

Tampa, FL – The U.S. Marshals Service, Middle District of Florida, is alerting the public of a significant increase in Florida residents reporting a phone scam involving individuals claiming to be U.S. Marshals or other Federal Officials. These scams are also occurring in other States.

During these calls, scammers are sometimes illegally using actual office phone numbers to fraudulently collect money or gain other Personal Identifiable Information (PII) from the victim. The scammers claim to be actual employees of the U.S. Marshals Service and will sometimes even provide actual real names and/or badge numbers of current U.S. Marshal Officials that are found on public, government websites to further appear legitimate. The scammers use many convincing tactics such as threatening legal ramifications if victims do not to comply.

If you receive any calls of this nature, contact the agency in question by calling them directly from a verified official website to authenticate the information. If you believe you were a victim of such a scam, you are encouraged to report the incident to your local FBI office and to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Things to remember:

• U.S. MARSHALS WILL NEVER ask for credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers for any purpose.
• NEVER divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.
• Report scam phone calls to your local FBI office and to the FTC.
• You can remain anonymous when you report.

The U.S. Marshals Service urges individuals not to divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers and highly recommends the public report similar crimes to their local police departments. If you believe you are a victim of fraud, report the incident through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Also, you should report online, business, or phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).