The News Room [News Archive]
Sheriff Contact: John Roach: 313-224-0615
Release Date: Friday, June 27, 2003
OLIVER, EVANS MAKE LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO FUGITIVE APPREHENSION
BY MAKING F.A.S.T. PERMANENT
--- 1,270 ARRESTS IN 6 MONTHS MAKE A COMPELLING CASE FOR CONTINUATION
In January, Wayne County Sheriff Warren C. Evans and Detroit Police
Chief Jerry A. Oliver embarked upon an experiment to see what would
happen if they teamed up their officers to address the ongoing
fugitive problem in Wayne County. Published reports had indicated
that as many as 26,000 violent and non-violent fugitives roam the
streets of the county.
The results of their test have been so dramatic that Evans and
Oliver today announced they have made their joint Fugitive Apprehension
Service Team [FAST] a permanent fixture.
“This announcement represents a significant commitment to
fugitive apprehension on the part of DPD and the Sheriff’s Office,” said Oliver. “We’re in this for
the long haul. Clearly, the members of FAST have shown how tremendously
successful law enforcement partnerships can be.”
Consider this: with 16 Sheriff’s deputies working alone
to arrest fugitives, they averaged about 600 per year prior to
2003. Since Detroit committed 17 officers of its own [along one
each from Livonia, Taylor and the US Marshals Service] to FAST,
however, officers have made an astounding 1,270 arrests [1,235
Adult, 35 Juvenile] in six months, quadrupling the previous rate.
Individuals who have been arrested thus far are charged with a
range of crimes, including murder, assault with intent to commit
murder, armed robbery, arson, child abuse, as well as many non-violent
crimes. A fugitive is anyone for whom an arrest warrant has been
issued, but is not in custody, or has been released on bond but
failed to appear for court. A fugitive also may be someone who
has violated their probation or parole or who has escaped custody
from a jail or prison.
» Go To Top
Evans and Oliver both say that it is a much smaller portion of
the reported 26,000 wanted fugitives, perhaps half, that has been
fueling crime in Detroit and Wayne County.
“
We have been placing the highest priority on those who have a demonstrated
history of violent crime,” Evans said. “When you take
as many of these kind of people off the streets as we have in the
past six months, you can’t help but see safer communities
as a result.”
A Regional Approach
Although a heavy emphasis is placed on the high number of fugitives
in Detroit, FAST is a benefit to the entire county. Just last
week, the FAST team joined with a dozen suburban police departments
in Operation Trackdown, a three-day sweep of people wanted on
felony warrants issued by out-county district courts. It is estimated
that 75 percent of people wanted on warrants from suburban courts
do not reside in that jurisdiction. Without multi-agency cooperation,
it is unlikely these people can be caught
During the three day blitz, 109 fugitives were arrested on warrants
from cities ranging from Livonia to Westland to Riverview, making
it the most fruitful suburban sweep since they began five years
ago.
» Go To Top
Good Collars
Of those arrested to date by FAST, many were considered a significant
threat to the community, but now are behind bars. Some of the
worst offenders picked up are:
- Arrest #201: Randall Atkins – arrested on March
4th, who was listed on Michigan’s Most Wanted for assault
with intent to commit murder.
- Arrest #496: Antonio Howard – Arrested on April 8th on
a charge of Murder.
- Arrest #775: Derrick Hamby, 34, of Detroit, who was arrested
on May 21st for the execution-style murder of Nathaniel Travis,
27, of Detroit, in March.
- Arrest #1,001: Georgette Thornton – Arrested on June 24th
on an extradition warrant from Clayton County, GA. Thornton was
wanted on charges of murder, aggravated assault and concealing
a death.
- Arrest #1,027: Reggie Holmes – Arrested on June 29th after
he had escaped from Ionia Prison. Holmes had been convicted of
numerous felony firearms counts, assault with intent to commit
murder and armed robbery.
- Arrest #1,220: Christopher Bonarito – Arrested on July
24th, five days after fleeing the scene of an accident in the
city of
River Rouge that caused the death of a passenger in his vehicle.
Bonarito has since been charged with murder.
:: read more about these arrests ::
Many
Still “Wanted”
Despite it success, FAST has a lot of work to do and is asking
for the public’s help. Below are brief profiles of FAST’s “Felony
Fugitive Five”:
- Eric Betts, 30 – Wanted for assault and battery
- Frank Edward Pope, 26 – Wanted for conspiracy to commit
murder.
- Nathan Moore, 45 – Wanted for Parole Violation
- Kevin Stokes, 31 – Wanted on suspicion of murder
- Deon Pettway, 20 – Wanted for attempted murder
Anyone with information on these, or any other wanted felons,
can make an anonymous tip by calling
1-800-SPEAK UP
» Go To Top