FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: December 09, 2008 Matt Hershey, Deputy U.S. Marshal Public Affairs Officer (602) 920-4841   U.S. Marshals Arrest Homicide Suspect After 29 Years on the Run   Phoenix, AZ – Yesterday morning, Deputy U.S. Marshals, Task Force Officers, Arizona DPS Detectives and Officers with the Payson Police Department arrested Ronald Stahlman, 55, in Payson, AZ. In 1979 a warrant was issued in Warren, Ohio for the arrest of Ronald Stahlman for Homicide. Shortly after the allegations were made Stahlman fled Ohio and hadn’t been heard from since. It is alleged that the homicide occurred when Stahlman, then a member of the Outlaws Motor Club, and some friends were involved in an assault in Warren, Ohio. During the assault it is alleged that Stahlman stabbed the victim numerous times killing him. After the incident Stahlman fled Ohio and had been a fugitive since then. In 2005 Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers assigned to the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) joined the hunt for Stahlman. Since then information was developed that Stahlman had fled Ohio and at some point started a new life in Arizona using the name James O’Neil. Stahlman has lived throughout the valley and finally settled in Payson. Yesterday morning Stahlman’s run from the law ended when Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers from the Arizona WANTED Task Force and the NOVFTF, Arizona DPS Detectives, and the Payson Police Department arrested Stahlman at his Payson residence. Stahlman is currently awaiting extradition back to Ohio. United States Marshal David Gonzales praised the work of Deputies and law enforcement officers adding, “The United States Marshals Service, with our state and local partners, will pursue violent fugitives no matter how far or long their run from the law is. Hopefully this arrest will help bring closure for the victim’s family.” The full-time federal, state, and local agencies that comprise the Arizona WANTED Task Force (Phoenix Metro Division) include: U.S. Marshals Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Arizona Department of Public Safety; Maricopa County Adult Probation Office; Mesa Police Department; Surprise Police Department; Phoenix Police Department; El Mirage Police Department and several part-time state and local law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Annually, U.S. Marshals arrest more than 50 percent of all federal fugitives and serve more federal warrants than all other federal agencies combined. For more information on other USMS Top 15 fugitives and USMS Major Cases, go to www.usmarshals.gov.