Destin Homicide Suspect Arrested in Madison County

Madison, FL - A Crestview, Florida man wanted in connection with a Homicide and Armed Robbery is finally behind bars after almost two weeks on the run. According to investigators from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, 23 year old Deaundros L. Blackshear was involved in an armed robbery on November 15, 2011 in Destin, Florida which ended in the shooting death of 21 year old Junior Christopher Ferguson. Information released indicated that Blackshear and co-defendant Arderiuss Warren set up a deal with Ferguson and Peter Frazier to purchase $1000.00 worth of cellular telephones. As Frazier and Warren discussed the deal and exchanged money, Blackshear is alleged to have pulled out a gun killing Ferguson and wounding Frazier. Arderiuss Warren was arrested by Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office on November 16 for unrelated drug charges and charged on November 17 with the murder and armed robbery of Ferguson and Frazier.

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputies identified Deaundros Blackshear as the alleged shooter in the robbery and have been pursuing Blackshear throughout North Florida and South Alabama since the incident. Members of the US Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force were contacted by Okaloosa investigators on Friday November 18 after information was obtained that Blackshear may have fled to the Madison County, Florida area. Task Force members working with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office identified several family members and known associates of Blackshear who were currently living in Madison County. Information developed by Madison investigators lead a team of task force officers to a residence in the 200 block of Anderson Pond Way early this morning. US Marshals Task Force Officers and Madison County Deputy Sheriff’s surrounded the residence and located Blackshear inside the residence hiding in a room with two small female children.

Blackshear surrendered to the overwhelming law enforcement presence after a brief standoff and was booked into the Madison County Jail where he awaits extradition back to Okaloosa County.

The Tallahassee Division of the FRFTF is comprised of law enforcement officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Leon County State Attorney’s Office, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Perry Police Department, Tallahassee Police Department, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office and the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office. These local law enforcement agencies contribute approximately 23 officers in both full time and part time roles with the officers sworn in as Special Deputy US Marshals who have the authority to cross their normal jurisdictional lines to pursue fugitives wanted for violent crimes by their respective departments.

U.S. Marshals Task Force Arrests Wanted Pace Man who Threatened to Kill Wife, Cops

Pace, FL – The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force (FRFTF) from Pensacola apprehended a man who according to police reports said he would kill his wife, her family and law enforcement should they try to stop him. According to a report taken by the Sheriff’s Office in Santa Rosa taken earlier this week James Walter Robinson told his wife, “…tell them cops to come on, I have lots of guns and if they come over here someone is going to die.” Robinson, 34, was advised by a deputy in Santa Rosa to stop sending harassing and threatening messages to his wife from whom he is separated. Robinson reportedly continued to send her messages which included one where he allegedly stated “…I have nothing to lose, game on, I’m packing a .44 Caliber revolver…” Later on that night Robinson supposedly entered his wife’s grandparents home while they slept. It is also reported that Robinson had sent his wife a photo of her parent’s home out of state and said he “…had been outside their house.”

The Task Force received information around noon today that Robinson may be at his father’s house in Pace. Members from the Task Force from Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Offices, the State Attorney’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Patrol Deputies from Santa Rosa County then converged on the home on the 5000 Block of Todd Street. The Task Force was unable to determine if Robinson was in fact inside the house. During their investigation they also learned that Robinson like to spend a lot of time in the woods behind the home. While trying to determine if Robinson was inside, Task Force members also began concentrating their focus on the woods. Around 4 p.m. Robinson did emerge from those woods and was immediately spotted by officers first and arrested him without any incident. No weapon was found on or near Robinson.

Robinson was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail on charges of Aggravated Stalking, Cyber Stalking w/Death or Injury, Harassing Communication, Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling, Criminal Mischief and Petty Theft. Robinson has no bond for the Stalking and Harassment charges.

U.S. Marshals Task Force Capture Illinois Escapee in Pensacola; and Sexual Battery Suspect in Defuniak Springs

Pensacola, FL – The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested an escapee today from Chicago, who reportedly arrived in Pensacola on New Year’s Eve. Fred Hoye, 40, who was originally arrested under the alias “Theodore Usher” was out on bail in Cook County, IL on drug charges and placed on GPS monitoring.  According to law enforcement officials there he cut the device off and headed to Pensacola at 9:30 p.m., December 30 from Chicago. Hoye, using the name “Fred Boyd”, and another man and woman left on a Greyhound Bus. Earlier today a detective there contacted the Escambia county Sheriff’s Office Warrants Unit who then requested the help of the Task Force. Several hours later the U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers from Escambia County discovered that Hoye and the female were staying at an apartment complex off of

Fairfield Avenue

near highway 98. At approximately 3:30 p.m., they were driving through the complex when they saw both Hoye and the female walking out of the complex onto

Fairfield Avenue

. Shortly after, the Task Force with the assistance of Escambia Patrol Units arrested Hoye without incident. Hoye was booked into the Escambia County Jail where he will be held until he is extradited back to Illinois.

Earlier this morning, Task Force Officers from Defuniak Springs Police Department along with others from Walton, Okaloosa and Washington County Sheriff’s Offices as well as Niceville Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office were planning to serve a Walton County arrest warrant for Lewd and Lascivious Battery on a Child, Failure to Appear on Pablo Baza-Valerio of the 600 Block of Ruckel Drive in Walton County. The Task Force quickly learned that he may be in a vehicle that had just left the residence and Task Force Members conducted a traffic stop on that car and found three of the suspect’s family members but not the fugitive. They were interviewed in an attempt to locate Baza-Valerio. Soon afterwards officers spoke to Baza-Valerio on the phone and negotiated his surrender. Baza-Valerio was taken into custody at the DeFuniak Springs Police Department at approximately 8:00am and he was transported to the Walton County Jail. Baza-Valerio also has a Failure to Appear warrant in Okaloosa County.

Shalimar Man Sentenced on International Child Exploitation Charges

PENSACOLA, FL—Kenneth Sweeney, age 69, of Shalimar, Florida, was sentenced today in federal district court in Pensacola by Senior United States Judge Roger Vinson to 12 ½ years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for traveling abroad to engage in sexual acts with minors and possession of child pornography. A federal Indictment alleged that between October 2002 and June 2004, Sweeney traveled from Florida to multiple countries in the Middle and Far East in order to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors. Sweeney was also charged with the possession of child pornography. Sweeney entered a guilty plea earlier this year to both charges.

Sweeney was outside the United States when the indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Pensacola in early 2007. Working with Interpol and the State Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation located Sweeney in the Philippines. Sweeney was detained in the Philippines on these charges and deported back to the United States. Once back in the United States in custody, law enforcement learned that Sweeney victimized children here in Florida as well.

Ms. Marsh praised the work of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose joint investigation led to Sweeney’s conviction and sentence.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.