U.S. Marshals Task Force Arrests Last of V-GRIP Most Wanted

Warren, Ohio – Peter J. Elliott, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio, is pleased to announce the arrest of fugitive Christopher Williams, age 31. The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force had been looking for Williams since January 2010 when he was indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In May 2010, Williams was featured as one of the Task Forces original “Dangerous Dozen” and had also been named as one of the most wanted fugitives in Warren during last summer’s V-GRIP Operation. V-GRIP, the Violence and Gun Reduction and Interdiction Program, was a joint effort among local and federal law enforcement partners that focused its efforts on reducing violent crime and removing gun carrying offenders from the streets.

While working V-GRIP over the summer, investigators began receiving tips that Williams fled Warren because of the increased police presence. Concerned citizens told investigators that Williams was living in the country, somewhere north of Warren. These anonymous tips continued throughout the winter, but none of the tipsters could provide an exact address for Williams. Investigators were eventually able to piece together all of leads and determine where Williams was living.

Yesterday afternoon, members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force went to a residence on the 4000 block of State Route 87 in Farmdale, Ohio. Officers established a perimeter on the small house that was located in northern Trumbull County. Initially, Williams refused to answer the door and there was a brief standoff as officers tried to get him to surrender. Williams eventually complied with the officers and was arrested without further incident at the front door of the residence. Williams is being held in federal custody pending an arraignment in United States District Court.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Bill Boldin stated that, “Credit for this arrest has to go to the community, and the residents who are fed up with violent crime. The numerous tips and calls we received from concerned citizens is what led to this arrest.”

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of a known fugitive is encouraged to contact the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at: 1-866-4-WANTED. Callers may remain anonymous and a cash reward may be available. The Task Force’s “Dangerous Dozen” fugitives can be viewed at http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/oh-n/fugitives/pdf/dangerous_dozen.pdf, which is updated monthly.

The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force in the greater Warren/Youngstown area is composed of the following federal, state and local agencies: Boardman Township Police Department, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office, Dalton Village Police Department, East Liverpool Police Department, Girard Police Department, Goshen Township Police Department, Howland Police Department, Hubbard Township Police Department, Liberty Township Police Department, Lisbon Police Department, Lordstown Police Department, McDonald Police Department, Newton Falls Police Department, Niles Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation, Salem Police Department, Trumbull County Probation Office, Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Warren Municipal Courts, Warren Police Department, Washingtonville Village Police Department, Weathersfield Township Police Department, and the Youngstown Police Department.