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Columbus, OH - Cathy Jones, United
States Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio, today announced the
arrests of David Parker and James Spillman, both unregistered sexual
offenders. Parker was arrested on October 1, 2010, by the Southern Ohio
Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) in Columbus, Ohio. Parker had
been wanted by the Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff’s Office and Tampa,
Florida Police Department for Failure to Register as a Sexual Offender.
James Spillman, who had been wanted by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
since 2002, was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Greenup, Kentucky on the
evening of October 4, 2010.
The investigation of Parker led SOFAST to Harvard Blvd. in Columbus, Ohio
where Parker was arrested in the driveway of his current residence. Parker
was convicted by a Jury in 1987 in the Highland County, Ohio Court of Common
Pleas of Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Robbery, and Rape. After his
release from prison in 2002, Parker was required to register as a Sexually
Oriented Offender with the Sheriff in his county of residence in Ohio or any
other state he may reside in for a period of ten years. Because Parker
traveled in interstate commerce while being an unregistered sex offender,
the United States Marshals Service for the Southern District of Ohio has
charged him with a federal crime of Failure to Register. Parker is being
held at the Franklin County Jail pending the outcome of his state and
federal charges.
The investigation of Spillman stretched across the country. Investigators
followed leads in Ohio, Kentucky, and Washington before locating Spillman.
Spillman was convicted of Rape in the Common Pleas Court of Franklin County
in 1997. The victim in the case was a child and Spillman was classified as a
Sexual Predator and required to register the addresses of his residence,
employment, or school for life. Parker is being held at the Greenup County,
Kentucky Jail pending his extradition back to Franklin County.
Marshal Jones stated, “The United States Marshals Service and SOFAST will
continue to pursue and arrest sex offenders who fail to meet their
registrations requirements to ensure the safety of those in our community.
The arrests of Parker and Spillman are due to the collaborative efforts and
cooperation of numerous investigators and agencies across the country.”
The U.S. Marshals Service is the lead law enforcement agency responsible for
investigating sex offender registration violations and related offenses in
connection with violations of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety
Act, which was enacted July 27, 2006. As part of this act, the U.S. Marshals
Service has been directed to assist state, local, tribal and territorial
authorities in the location and apprehension of non-compliant and fugitive
sex offenders. Offenders that are found residing out of state can be charged
federally and often those charges carry more severe penalties. To ensure the
safety of children across the country, the U.S. Marshals Service implemented
an aggressive law enforcement strategy. Since the law was enacted, the
United States Marshals Service has arrested thousands of fugitives for Sex
Offenses, Failure to Register and Failure to Comply with Sex Offender
Registration Requirements.
Columbus SOFAST is a fugitive focused, United States Marshals Service led
task force consisting of local, state, and federal authorities including the
Franklin County Sheriffs, Delaware County Sheriffs, Ohio Adult Parole
Authority, Columbus Police Department, Columbus Division of Fire,
Worthington Police Department, Reynoldsburg Police Department, South
Bloomfield Police Department, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and
Investigation, Grove City Police Department, United States Department of
Agriculture, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United States
Attorney’s Office. To learn more, please visit:
http://www.usmarshals.gov. |
