U.S. Marshals’ Task Force Arrests Greenville County Fugitive

Lewis Welsh was arrested by members of the Marshals’ Operation Intercept task force early Thursday afternoon.  Welsh, 35, was the subject of Greenville County warrants for Criminal Domestic Violence, Trafficking in Cocaine, and Distribution of Crack Cocaine.  Welsh was taken into custody after an altercation that included ramming a Deputy United States Marshal’s vehicle and struggling with the arresting officers and deputies. Welsh has also been charged in Greenville County with Assault and Battery with Intent to Kill as a result of  the circumstances surrounding his arrest.  He was booked into the Greenville County Detention Center awaiting court proceedings.

Task Force members followed Welsh’s trail to Florida before finally receiving information that he had returned to the Greenville area.  Early this week, they learned that Welsh had some connection with an apartment complex off of Villa Road in Greenville.  Task force members finally spotted him at the complex early Thursday afternoon and he was taken into custody.  Officers from the Greenville Police Department and deputies from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office also participated in the apprehension. In announcing Welsh’s arrest, United States Marshal Johnny Mack Brown said, “We take assaults on our Deputies and task force members very seriously.  Fortunately, we were able to take Welsh into custody without anyone getting hurt.”

Established in 1789, the United States Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency.  In 2004, the Marshals arrested more than 39,000 federal fugitives and more than 43,000 state and local fugitives through cooperative task forces like South Carolina’s Operation Intercept. More information about the United States Marshals Service and South Carolina fugitives can be found on the web at www.usmarshals.gov.