U.S. Marshals Central Valley Joint Fugitive Task Force (CVJFTF) Arrests Charles Hattabaugh and Darren Hamilton

Bakersfield, CA – U.S. Marshal Albert Najera, of the Eastern District of California, announced today that the U.S. Marshals Central Valley Joint Fugitive Task Force (CVJFTF) arrested Charles Hattabaugh and Darren Hamilton.

On July 05, 2011, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Parole Agents, long time participants of the U.S. Marshals CVJFTF, assisted the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Kern County Auto Theft Taskforce (KERN-CATT) in serving a search warrant at a location in Bakersfield, CA. The search warrant was the result of an auto theft investigation.

On June 05, 2011, the teams traveled to N. Street in the city of Bakersfield to execute the search warrant. Upon arrival at the location, officers immediately contacted two white males who were later identified as 45 year old Charles Hattabaugh, a Discharged Parolee, and 45 year old Darren Hamilton. Both subjects were detained pending a search of the premises. Officers first located a clear plastic baggie containing suspected methamphetamine weighing approximately 1/8 of an ounce in Hattabaugh’s pocket. Officers then discovered a loaded .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun and a box of .40 caliber ammunition in a file cabinet. In the same room, the team located an open pack of cigarettes on a table that contained another small plastic baggie containing suspected methamphetamine. The teams then turned their attention to a white Dodge Challenger with Arizona license plates parked in front of the shop. A search of the vehicle’s trunk revealed approximately one pound of methamphetamine and a black zippered bag that contained approximately $7,000 in cash. All items were seized and taken into custody.

The teams also located a black GMC pickup and conducted records checks of the vehicle’s VIN number. The information indicated that the truck had been reported stolen. Both Hattabaugh and Hamilton were arrested and transported to the Kern County Jail where they were booked on numerous charges to include Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sale, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

The Central Valley Joint Fugitive Task Force is a U.S. Marshals-sponsored partnership comprised of investigators from federal, state, and local agencies. The main objective of the task force is to seek out and arrest fugitives charged with violent crimes, drug crimes, sex offenders, and other felonies. More fugitives are arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service than all other federal agencies combined. In 2009 investigations carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service resulted in the apprehension of over 36, 000 federal fugitives and more than 90,000 state and local fugitives on felony charges.