COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The U.S. Marshals Service and Fugitive Apprehension team waste no time or energy in apprehending a fugitive.
The attention to detail and the amount of background work, all toward making an arrest. Apprehending a fugitive is dangerous work, and sometimes, they strike out.
On a recent day, the team got an early start – before the sun came up – tracking Kenyatta Glass, wanted for murder.
But he wasn’t there.
“Might’ve struck out on this one, but you know what I mean? That’s why it’s like fishing,” one of the team’s members said.
The U.S. Marshals Service moves on to the next fugitive, also wanted for murder.
“Try to execute a warrant for Ja’Vontae Jones,” Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio Charles Sanso said. “He’s wanted for murder from the Mansfield area of Ohio. Date it was issue has been a while back, it was June 8, 2023. So this one’s taken a little bit longer than what’s expected or what we’d like.”
The Marshals Service believes Jones fled Richland County and has been hiding out in Columbus.
“We’ve received information that he could possibly be here, so we’re going to try the arrest warrant service today for that actual apartment,” Sanso said.
It takes days of investigative work to find a fugitive’s location, and once they do find it, every detail is confirmed before the marshals act. After about an hour of surveilling the apartment, talking to neighbors to confirm Jones has been seen, the team moves swiftly.
This time, the U.S. Marshals Service gets their guy.
“This guy committed a double homicide,” U.S. Marshal Michael Black of the Southern District of Ohio said. “Two 18-year-old men, shot and killed them. If we don’t get him off the street today, we don’t know how many more crimes he’s going to do. When’s he going to kill somebody again?”
Black is committed to putting the most dangerous criminals behind bars.
“Our Columbus community is safer today knowing that this violent fugitive is off the streets,” he said.
After this arrest, there’s no downtime for the Fugitive Apprehension Team, moving on to the next violent offender with a warrant.
“They can run, they can hide, but we’re not going to take a day off,” Black said.
Jones remains in Franklin County Jail awaiting extradition to Richland County.