U.S. Attorney urges citizens to report whereabouts of wanted persons
The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia is urging citizens to report the whereabouts of ten wanted fugitives to authorities.
In March, Macon Regional Crimestoppers, a community-run organization dedicated to increasing the safety of citizens, publicized a list of the top 15 Most Wanted fugitives in the Macon regional area. To date, five of 15 wanted persons have been captured, all as a direct result of citizen tips leading to their capture. The remaining fugitives at-large are wanted for violent crimes in Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Monroe and Peach counties, including aggravated assault, armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. To view the list of wanted persons, please visit www.crimestop.us. Citizens can safely and anonymously report tips at 1-877-68CRIME. Crimestoppers provides rewards up to $1,000 for tips leading to the arrest of wanted fugitives. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of competent jurisdiction.
“We are asking citizens to safely report the whereabouts of these wanted fugitives to Crimestoppers or their local authorities,” said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney. “We are proud to support Macon Regional Crimestoppers and our law enforcement partners. Creating safer neighborhoods is a community-wide effort, and we are fortunate to live in a region where law enforcement and citizens work together to achieve this common goal law.”
“In the midst of a pandemic, Macon Regional Crimestoppers remains committed to removing criminals from our streets,” said Warren Selby, Jr., Macon Regional Crimestoppers Chairman. “Our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and all our law enforcement partners, continues to be successful due to the engagement of our citizens. Please help us continue our success by Making the Call!”
In February 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office made a public commitment with Macon Regional Crimestoppers to release a quarterly list throughout 2019 of the Most Wanted violent offenders. 41 of the 45 Top 15 Most Wanted fugitives in 2019 were captured. Macon Regional Crimestoppers is a local non-profit serving Bibb, Baldwin, Houston, Jones, Twiggs, Crawford, Monroe, and Peach counties. The organization partners with law enforcement agencies and community groups to provide anonymous rewards for tips that lead to criminal arrests. To learn more about Macon Regional Crimestoppers, please visit www.crimestop.us.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office partnership with Macon Regional Crimestoppers is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The partnership is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
