For Immediate Release

Las Cruces, NM - On December 5, 2010, David Norton Wilcox (55), was arrested in Chicago at O’Hare International Airport. Wilcox was wanted for violations of the Federal Adam Walsh Act for failing to maintain proper registration as a sex offender.  Wilcox was arrested in a joint effort by the United States Marshals Service, Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, Customs and Border Protection, and the Chicago Police Department.

Wilcox was charged in May 1988 with two counts of Criminal Sexual Penetration and two counts of Incest.  On October 4, 1996 Wilcox plead guilty to two counts Criminal Sexual Penetration.  Wilcox was sentenced to eighteen years per count to run concurrent, followed by 2 years parole. 

On May 18, 2010 Wilcox flew to China and returned back to the United States on June 08, 2010, on the same day Wilcox purchased an additional ticket to fly back to China on June 25, 2010.  On June 24, 2010 Wilcox registered in person with the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office and made no mention of his intent to travel to Asia and did not disclose his employment in China from May 18- June 08, 2010.  Wilcox never informed authorities that he left the country and that he was seeking residence in Asia.

Wilcox has been a fugitive from justice since August 18, 2010 and his arrest marks one of the first in the United States Marshals Service, District of New Mexico’s new “Most Wanted” program. United States Marshal Conrad Candelaria said “the most wanted program is founded on the effective partnerships the USMS has with its many law enforcement partners, local, county and state, with a common goal of making all of our communities in New Mexico a safer place”.

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

The Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team is a team comprised of law enforcement officers from: New Mexico State Police; New Mexico Department of Corrections; Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office; Las Cruces Police Department; Albuquerque Police Department; Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office; Rio Rancho Police Department; Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office; Santa Fe Police Department; San Juan County Sheriff’s Office; McKinley County Sheriff’s Office; Farmington Police Department; Bloomfield Police Department; U. S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife; and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The task force objective is to seek out and arrest all Violent Offenders.

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America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency

For more information about the U.S. Marshals Service, visit http://www.usmarshals.gov