Savannah Fugitive Captured

Savannah, GA – A Savannah man wanted for Criminal Attempt at Murder, Burglary, Aggravated Assault, and Aggravated Battery by the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department (SCMPD) and probation violation by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department was arrested in Savannah, Georgia by the United States Marshals Service Savannah Office of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force and members of the SCMPD Precinct 1 Patrol Units, SCMPD Detectives, and Garden City K-9 officers on April 21, 2014.

Elston Marquez Howard, 38, was wanted by the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department on above charges from an incident that happened on Kingman Avenue in Savannah, GA on March 30, 2014. Howard was also wanted by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department for Probation Violation in a warrant dated February 14, 2014, with the original charges being Sale of Controlled Substances (Crack), Possession of Drug Related Objects, and Use of Communication. Howard went into hiding.

The case was referred to the Savannah Office of the United States Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force to locate and apprehend Howard. An extensive investigation was conducted by the Marshals Task Force and information was generated that Howard was possibly in a home at 106 Kingman Avenue in Savannah, GA. Marshals Task Force members, SCMPD Precinct 1 Patrol units, SCMPD Detectives and Garden City K-9 surrounded the residence. Officers knocked and announced their presence, however the occupants of the home would not open the door. Officers surrounded the home for over the two hours until a search warrant was obtained. Forcible entry was made into the residence, and Howard was found lying on a bed watching television. Howard was taken into custody without incident and transported to SCMPD Headquarters to be interviewed by detectives. For further details of the case, please contact SCMPD Violent Crimes Division. Two other people were arrested for disorderly conduct and other charges at the scene.

Annually, investigations carried out by the U.S. Marshals result in the apprehension of over 36, 000 federal fugitives. More federal fugitives are arrested by the Marshals Service than all other federal agencies combined. In 2013 U.S. Marshals led task forces arrested more than 86,000 state and local fugitives, which cleared over 113,000 warrants.

The Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force has three offices: Atlanta, Macon, and Savannah. The task force covers the whole state of Georgia. The Savannah Office of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force is a team comprised of investigators from the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department, the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Department, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Department, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department, the Hampton County Sheriff’s Department, and the United States Marshals Service. The task force objective is to seek out and arrest fugitives charged with violent crimes, drug crimes, sex offenders, and other felonies.