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Albuquerque, NM – United States
Marshals with the assistance of New Mexico State Police and New Mexico State
Department of Corrections, and New Mexico Probation and Parole arrested
Violent Fugitive and Sex Offender, Melanie Freeman. On October 4, 2012,
Freeman was added to the U.S. Marshals Service, New Mexico’s Most Wanted
list for her alleged criminal acts.
Late last night, Deputy Marshals in Las Cruces, NM, developed information
that the twenty year old female fugitive, had fled to Albuquerque and was
being hidden by her family. Marshals responded to the tips and began
interviewing Freeman’s family members in Albuquerque’s North Valley. This
morning, additional leads came in to the Marshals Service that Freeman’s
family was continuously moving her around and assisting her in eluding
capture. Freeman’s family tipped her off that officers from the Marshals
Service South West Investigative Team (SWIFT) fugitive task force, were at
her family’s home looking for her. Deputies were informed that Freeman’s
family provided her a truck and that she was headed south on Interstate I-25
from Albuquerque back to Las Cruces. Marshals put out a state wide attempt
to locate with NM State Police. State Police spotted the truck traveling on
I-25 south bound in the area of Socorro, NM, and pulled the vehicle over.
State Police took Freeman into custody without incident.
An immediate member of Freeman’s family was arrested on a Probation
Violation for her role in harboring the fugitive and for interfering with
the investigation. District of New Mexico, United States Marshal, Conrad E.
Candelaria, said “effective communication and cooperation between fugitive
investigators with the Marshals Service for the District of New Mexico and
personnel of the New Mexico State Police resulted in this most recent
arrest, which is another example of successful and effective crime fighting
that is attributed to the exceptional partnerships that are relied upon by
the Marshals Service, with its local, county, state, tribal and federal law
enforcement agencies”.
Freeman was wanted for failure to appear on charges of criminal Sexual
penetration of a minor under 13, and assault on a peace officer. The
criminal complaint alleged that Freeman had sexual intercourse with a 12
year old boy at a residence where she was hiding from authorities who were
attempting to arrest her on outstanding warrants. Complaint also states that
during the arrest she assaulted a police officer by kicking him.
Additional
information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at
http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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