For Immediate Release

Mansfield, OH – Yesterday evening, members of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mansfield Police Department arrested William Johnson at a Mansfield area motel. Johnson, age 44, was wanted by the Richland County Sheriff’s Office on a February 16, 2012 bench warrant for bond revocation after he violated the no contact order with his victim.

Johnson was out on bond on a previous aggravated burglary and abduction case for which he is scheduled for trial on February 27, 2012, in Richland County Common Pleas Court. Johnson’s bond was revoked after the victim in his previous case was hospitalized Wednesday night in an Akron area hospital after being abducted from the Mansfield area and assaulted. The victim identified Johnson as her attacker and her vehicle was also stolen.

On Thursday afternoon, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office responded to Martha Ave in Mansfield after a citizen reported finding the victim’s stolen vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence. The citizen also reported that Johnson yelled from the back of the residence to him, stating that he had a gun. Members of the fugitive task force responded to assist the Sheriff’s Deputies and the Ohio State Highway Patrol shut down a small section of Route 430 for a period of time, while officers checked the residence. Johnson was not located inside and the investigation revealed that Johnson parked the victim’s vehicle there earlier in the day and had left the residence before Sheriff’s Deputies arrived.

Task Force Officers and Sheriff’s Deputies continued their search for Johnson. A short time later, the task force developed information that Johnson was at the Motel 6 on Trimble Road in Mansfield. Task Force Officers, Sheriff’s Deputies and Officers from the Mansfield Police Department responded and Johnson was located in a motel room and arrested, after he attempted to barricade the door and was found hiding in the back of the motel room. While officers were still on scene, three family members of the victim arrived at the motel room, each of them found to be illegally carrying handguns. Officers are not sure of what their motives were, but all three were subsequently arrested.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of a known fugitive is encouraged to contact the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at: 1-866-4-WANTED. Callers may remain anonymous and a cash reward may be available. The Task Force’s “Dangerous Dozen” fugitives can be viewed at http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/oh-n/fugitives/pdf/dangerous_dozen.pdf, which is updated monthly.

The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force - Richland County Division is composed of the following federal, state and local agencies: Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, Ashland Municipal Probation, Ashland Police Department, Bellville Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, Butler Police Department, Crestline Police Department, Galion Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Loudonville Police Department, Mansfield Municipal Probation, Mansfield Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ontario Police Department, Plymouth Police Department, Richland County Probation, Richland County Prosecutor’s Office, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.

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

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