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Scranton, PA – Today, United States
Marshal Martin J. Pane announced that the United States Marshals Service (USMS)
arrested Anthony K. Walker, a 28-year old man from New York. Walker was
being sought for violating Megan’s Law by failing to register as a
previously convicted sex offender.
In May 2006, Walker was convicted in Franklin County, New York on charges of
Forcible Touching / Sexual Fondling. The victim in the case was 16 years of
age. Walker was sentenced to a prison sentence in the Franklin County Jail.
The charges required Walker to register as a convicted sex offender upon his
release from custody. Since January 2009, Walker has been required to
register to maintain compliance with Megan’s Law.
In May 2012, Walker was convicted in Franklin County Court for failure to
register.
In early January 2013, Walker again failed to return his annual registration
requirement to New York state authorities.
On January 24, an arrest warrant was issued in Franklin County, New York
charging Walker with failure to register as a sex offender.
Earlier this week, U.S. Marshals in the Northern District of New York
requested the USMS Middle District of Pennsylvania (M/PA) Fugitive Task
Force to assist in the location and apprehension of Walker. Information was
developed that the fugitive may be staying in the Scranton area.
On March 5, U.S. Marshals based in Scranton, along with task force
personnel, began to investigate Walker’s whereabouts. During the late
afternoon hours, Walker was located and arrested in the 100 block of South
Washington Avenue in Scranton. He was taken into custody without incident.
Walker will be charged as a fugitive-from-justice, and await court
proceedings concerning his extradition to New York.
The United States Marshals Service continues to investigate Walker to
determine if he violated the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of
2006 - which made it a federal offense for a convicted sex offender to flee
from state to state to avoid the registration requirement and also
designated the United States Marshals Service as the federal agency
responsible for locating and investigating these offenders.
United States Marshal Martin J. Pane stated, “The Marshals Service and its
task force partners are committed to making our communities a safe place to
live. It is my sincere belief that, by taking Megan’s Law violators and Adam
Walsh Act fugitives off the street, we are doing just that.”
U.S. Marshals were assisted by personnel from the Scranton City Police
Department, Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Office, and Pennsylvania Board of
Probation and Parole. These agencies are participating members of the USMS
M/PA Fugitive Task Force. The concept of all USMS-led fugitive task forces
is to seek out and arrest the nation’s most dangerous offenders.
Additional
information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at
http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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