Sheriff Koutoujian Releases 2015 Warrant Apprehension Unit Data

BILLERICA, Mass. – More than 200 individuals with outstanding felony warrants were arrested by members of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Warrant Apprehension Unit in 2015, Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian announced today.

“I want to commend the members of the Warrant Apprehension Unit for their tremendous work,” said Sheriff Koutoujian.  “The individuals tracked down and apprehended by this unit are wanted for serious felonies including drug trafficking and attempted murder.  Removing them from the streets makes us all safer.”

The Warrant Apprehension Unit – currently comprised of three Middlesex Sheriff’s Office deputies and one Lowell Police Department detective – is primarily tasked with locating and apprehending fugitives wanted on felony warrants issued within Middlesex County.  The unit also assists municipal police, the Massachusetts State Police and federal law enforcement agencies – including the U.S. Marshals Service – with locating and apprehending individuals wanted in other jurisdictions.

In total, the Warrant Apprehension Unit made, or assisted in, 225 arrests in calendar year 2015 on charges lodged by nearly 50 agencies, both inside and outside of Middlesex County.  The unit is on pace to surpass its 2015 total for arrests, having apprehended 56 individuals through the first 10 weeks of 2016.

“We value this collaboration with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office in having our Department represented on the Warrant Apprehension Unit,” said Lowell Police Superintendent William Taylor.  “The work that has been done in bringing wanted individuals to justice and out of our community is instrumental in making the City of Lowell a safer place.”

In addition to the 225 arrests made in 2015, Warrant Apprehension Unit deputies also successfully carried out 30 renditions, safely and securely returning individuals back to the Commonwealth from as far away as Florida, Texas and California, to face charges emanating from 24 local jurisdictions.  Individuals returned to the Commonwealth were wanted on charges ranging from drug distribution and witness intimidation, to kidnapping, rape and attempted murder.

“Good partnerships, like the one that exists between the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Middlesex Sheriff’s Warrant Apprehension Unit, are integral to effective law enforcement,” said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.  “As agencies face shrinking resources, such collaborations are critical to accomplishing our shared mission of protecting public safety and apprehending wanted fugitives.”

“Collaboration is the key to effective public safety,” said Sheriff Koutoujian.  “We are proud of the partnerships we have built over the years and look forward to growing them in the months and years to come.” 

Individuals with information regarding wanted fugitives within Middlesex County may contact the Warrant Apprehension Unit at 617-682-4817.

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