U.S. Marshals' task force gives NBC4 an inside look at arresting fugitives
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The U.S. Marshals' Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike team, or SOFAST, does a lot of behind-the-scenes work before making an actual arrest.
NBC4 was there Wednesday to see members of the SOFAST task force put that work to action and arrest two known fugitives. Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Charles Sanso said before they get to the point of an arrest, they have to investigate and find leads to see where the fugitive could be hiding out.
“Safe apprehension of folks that have arrest warrants, safe safety of the public safety for our officers and safety of the person we're looking for -- if we can do that, we're successful every day," Sanso said.
The first arrest was in the Lockbourne area. The suspect was Eric Davis, who was wanted on three counts of felonious assault for a triple shooting at Canonby Place last month. The task force members surrounded the house where Davis was at, and he did come out peacefully in just a few minutes. Sanso said the way this arrest went is ideal for the task force.
“When they come out to us and they're saying, 'Hey, here I am, everything's everybody safe,' we can get them where they need to go, get them to the jail so they can start the court process," Sanso said. "They're safe. We're safe. It makes for a good day."
The second person was not as quick. They went to find suspect Michael Law near the Obetz area. Law is wanted for parole violations on weapons and burglary and a probation violation for weapons.
Sanso said they tried to stop Law last week but he got away. Wednesday's arrest turned into a barricade situation. The Marshals said Law was hiding under the bed and they were told he had a gun. It took more than 30 minutes to get him to come outside. Columbus police also came to assist with this situation.
“They were able to support us, which we greatly appreciate. It's important to secure the outside perimeter. Also notify the neighbors, let them know, 'hey, this is a barricade.' You know, it's a dangerous situation if you'd like to first know about it and then maybe possibly leave your house or take proper precautions. So they helped us do that,” Sanso said.
He said being aware and preparing for anything that could happen is key.
“So when you're focused on any type of aggravated type of case like that and with arrest warrants, with a violent criminal history, you're concerned about a lot of things, especially weapons, criminal history and what they did in the past," Sanso said. "We take that into account. So if you're going after somebody with an assault warrant as an example, you're going to be cognizant of possible weapons, dangerous situations, past history."
Sanso said the SOFAST team is made up of their task force members as well as members of local police departments and sheriff's deputies.