GEORGIA ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECT ARRESTED IN LOCKPORT, LOUISIANA BY U.S. MARSHALS CSFTF BASED ON ASSISTANCE FROM THE METROPOLITAN CRIME COMMISSION

On the morning of November 29, 2006, the U.S. Marshals Crescent Star Fugitive Task Force (CSFTF) arrested, Thomas A. DRAKE, 22 years old, at an apartment in the 100 block of City Place Dr. Lockport, Louisiana as he attempted to run out of the back door of the residence. DRAKE was wanted on warrants out of several jurisdictions in Georgia charging him with two armed robberies, a probation violation warrant based on a DUI conviction, and a failure to appear warrant on a narcotics charge.

The U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF) based out of Atlanta, Georgia developed information that DRAKE was somewhere in the Eastern District of Louisiana. SERFTF then contacted CSFTF for assistance in locating DRAKE. CSFTF contacted the New Orleans based Metropolitan Crime Commission (MCC) for help in tracking DRAKE. The MCC does a feature in the New Orleans Times Picayune newspaper called “Wanted by the Law.” DRAKE was spotlighted in the Times Picayune “Wanted by the Law” feature and assistance from the public led to his apprehension. It was determined that DRAKE had also gained recent employment at a ship yard in the Lockport area.

The warrants for DRAKE’s arrest were issued in June and July of this year. One of the armed robbery warrants was out of Coweta County, (Newnan Police Department) Georgia and the other one was out of Fulton County (Atlanta, GA).

MCC and CSFTF work together on a regular basis to get violent fugitives arrested in the New Orleans metro area. A deputy U.S. Marshal from the Brownsville, Texas office, assigned to CSFTF as part of the U.S. Attorney General’s commitment to fighting the post Katrina crime spike was the EDLA case agent on this fugitive investigation.