United States Marshals and Virginia State Police Turn up the 'Heat' in Richmond

Richmond, VA – U.S. Marshals and Virginia State Police, announce the arrest of 13 convicted felons, including 10 non-compliant sex offenders during “Operation Summer Heat”, a three day operation in Richmond, Virginia. “Summer Heat ran from June 30th thru July 2nd, targeting the city’s most dangerous criminals with a laser-like focus on violent sex offenders.

One example was Luther Mitchell. At approximately 9:45 a.m. on June 30th, members of the U.S. Marshals and Virginia State Police, approached a residence at the 1200 block of St. James Street in Richmond, after developing information Mitchell was staying at the address. When the joint arrest team knocked on the door, an unknown female answered. When shown a photo of Mitchell, she denied knowing the person. Minutes later, officers were allowed entry to the residence where Mitchell was found hiding. Mitchell was taken into custody without further incident. “Another example that regardless what our fugitive targets are wanted for or charged with, there is almost always someone willing to protect them from arrest”, stated U.S. Marshal Robert Mathieson.

“This operation was wildly successful and sends a loud and clear message that sex offenders in violation of registration requirements will be hunted down, arrested and prosecuted for not being compliant with state and federal law,” said U.S. Marshal Robert Mathieson. “We thank the Virginia State Police for their tireless efforts and being such tremendous partners in our shared pursuits to protect the community.”

“The Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry is an essential resource for Virginians to stay informed about their communities and workplaces,” said Lt. Tricia W. Powers, Assistant Criminal Justice Information Services Division Officer. “Thanks to this collaborative enforcement operation with the U.S. Marshals Service, we were able to bring even more convicted sex offenders into compliance, and ensure the registry is as accurate and timely as possible.”

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested more than 33,797 federal fugitives and cleared 89,131 state and local warrants in 2014.