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For Immediate Release

 Contact:
February 12, 2009 Corey Britt, Deputy United States Marshal
Lafayette, Louisiana (337) 262-6792
Texas Fugitive Arrested in DeRidder
On Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at approximately 4:00 p.m. eighteen year old Thomas Pearce was arrested by U.S. Marshals and the Lake Charles Police Department’s SRT Team near Plum Street in DeRidder, Louisiana. Pearce has pending charges from Van Zandt County for Sexual Assault and Burglary.

Early in the week, Deputy U.S. Marshals from Tyler, TX and Texas Rangers obtained information that Pearce was hiding in DeRidder. The US Marshals led Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force contacted the Western District of Louisiana’s Task Force for assistance. Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers in Lake Charles determined that Pearce was staying with a family member in DeRidder. Task Force members from Lake Charles responded to DeRidder and at approximately 4:00 p.m. yesterday, Pearce was arrested without incident. Pearce was transported to the Beauregard Parish Jail where he is awaiting extradition back to Van Zandt County, Texas.

The United States Marshal for the Western District of Louisiana said, “The coordinated effort of all law enforcement to bring dangerous criminals to justice ensures that the streets and neighborhoods of Louisiana are a safer place to raise our children.”

Annually, investigations carried out by the U.S. Marshals result in the apprehension of approximately 34,000 federal fugitives. More federal fugitives are arrested by Marshals than all other federal agencies combined.

The Western District of Louisiana’s Task Force is a team comprised of law enforcement officers from agencies throughout the Western part of Louisiana (Shreveport, Monroe, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Opelousas, and Lafayette). The task force objective is to seek out and arrest federal, state, and local fugitives, mainly those with violent criminal histories to include sex offenders. In 2007, U.S. Marshals task forces arrested more than 56,600 state and local fugitives on felony charges.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.