Springfield, MO – U.S. Marshals-Midwest Violent Fugitive Task
Force and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department located and coordinated
the apprehension of a Springfield man on Wednesday who fled to Mexico to
avoid being sentenced in Greene County Circuit Court on numerous sex
offense charges.
On September 17, 2021, the 31st Judicial Circuit
Court of Greene County issued an arrest warrant for David M. King for
five counts of Statutory Sodomy in the 1st Degree, Statutory Sodomy in
the 2nd Degree, Child Molestation in the 1st Degree, and Child
Molestation in the 4th Degree after he failed to appear for his
scheduled sentencing hearing. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office
Fugitive Apprehension Unit immediately began the investigation to locate
and apprehend King.
The U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force
joined the hunt for King shortly thereafter and worked closely with the
Fugitive Apprehension Unit throughout the investigation. Through a
series of investigative endeavors, Fugitive Apprehension Unit detectives
and Deputy U.S. Marshals soon tracked King to Reynosa, Mexico. On
Wednesday morning, Deputy U.S. Marshals in the Southern District of
Texas-McAllen, apprehended King in Reynosa, Mexico. King is currently
awaiting return to Springfield to face sentencing for his sex offense
charges.
“The U.S. Marshals service remains dedicated to
assisting our local law enforcement partners to stop the spread of
violence in our communities. This is a priority for the Department of
Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service,” said Mark James, U.S. Marshal
for the Western District of Missouri. “Through teamwork and cooperation
with the Greene County Fugitive Apprehension Unit we successfully
brought a dangerous fugitive to justice.”
The U.S. Marshals Midwest Violent Fugitive Task
Force—Springfield Division, partners with members of the Greene County
Sheriff’s Office, the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, the Springfield
Police Department, and the Joplin Police Department. The mission of U.S.
Marshals Service fugitive programs is to seek out and arrest fugitives
charged with violent crimes, drug offenses, sex offenders, and other
serious felonies. To accomplish this mission, the U.S. Marshals Service
partners with local law enforcement agencies in 94 district offices, 85
local fugitive task forces, 8 regional task forces, as well as many
foreign countries.
Submit tips on fugitives directly and anonymously
to the U.S. Marshals Service by downloading the USMS Tips app to your
Apple or Android device, or online at:
https://www.usmarshals.gov/tips/index.html.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found
at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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