Two Unregistered Sex Offenders Arrested

Columbus, OH - Cathy Jones, United States Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio, today announced the arrests of David Parker and James Spillman, both unregistered sexual offenders. Parker was arrested on October 1, 2010, by the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) in Columbus, Ohio. Parker had been wanted by the Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff’s Office and Tampa, Florida Police Department for Failure to Register as a Sexual Offender. James Spillman, who had been wanted by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office since 2002, was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Greenup, Kentucky on the evening of October 4, 2010.

The investigation of Parker led SOFAST to

Harvard Blvd.

in Columbus, Ohio where Parker was arrested in the driveway of his current residence. Parker was convicted by a Jury in 1987 in the Highland County, Ohio Court of Common Pleas of Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Robbery, and Rape. After his release from prison in 2002, Parker was required to register as a Sexually Oriented Offender with the Sheriff in his county of residence in Ohio or any other state he may reside in for a period of ten years. Because Parker traveled in interstate commerce while being an unregistered sex offender, the United States Marshals Service for the Southern District of Ohio has charged him with a federal crime of Failure to Register. Parker is being held at the Franklin County Jail pending the outcome of his state and federal charges.

The investigation of Spillman stretched across the country. Investigators followed leads in Ohio, Kentucky, and Washington before locating Spillman. Spillman was convicted of Rape in the Common Pleas Court of Franklin County in 1997. The victim in the case was a child and Spillman was classified as a Sexual Predator and required to register the addresses of his residence, employment, or school for life. Parker is being held at the Greenup County, Kentucky Jail pending his extradition back to Franklin County.

Marshal Jones stated, “The United States Marshals Service and SOFAST will continue to pursue and arrest sex offenders who fail to meet their registrations requirements to ensure the safety of those in our community. The arrests of Parker and Spillman are due to the collaborative efforts and cooperation of numerous investigators and agencies across the country.”

The U.S. Marshals Service is the lead law enforcement agency responsible for investigating sex offender registration violations and related offenses in connection with violations of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which was enacted July 27, 2006. As part of this act, the U.S. Marshals Service has been directed to assist state, local, tribal and territorial authorities in the location and apprehension of non-compliant and fugitive sex offenders. Offenders that are found residing out of state can be charged federally and often those charges carry more severe penalties. To ensure the safety of children across the country, the U.S. Marshals Service implemented an aggressive law enforcement strategy. Since the law was enacted, the United States Marshals Service has arrested thousands of fugitives for Sex Offenses, Failure to Register and Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registration Requirements.

Columbus SOFAST is a fugitive focused, United States Marshals Service led task force consisting of local, state, and federal authorities including the Franklin County Sheriffs, Delaware County Sheriffs, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Columbus Police Department, Columbus Division of Fire, Worthington Police Department, Reynoldsburg Police Department, South Bloomfield Police Department, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, Grove City Police Department, United States Department of Agriculture, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United States Attorney’s Office. To learn more, please visit: http://www.usmarshals.gov/.