Fugitive Arrested on Hilton Head Island

February 3, 2010 - Hilton Head, SC - A man wanted by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Department in Griffin, Georgia was arrested by the United States Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Beaufort – Jasper Multi Agency Drug Task Force, and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department on February 2, 2010.

Akim Jamal Miller, 35, was wanted by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Department and the Griffin, Georgia Police Department on seven separate warrants charging him with eight counts of Child Molestation, seven counts of Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes, four counts of Statutory Rape, and one count of Party to the Crime of Aggravated Sodomy. All of the incidents took place in Spalding County, Georgia from January of 2009 through January of 2010. The warrants were issued on January 28, 2010.

The case was referred to the United States Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force in Atlanta, Georgia to locate and arrest Miller. An intensive investigation was conducted by the Atlanta Office of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force which indicated that Miller had fled the Spalding County, Georgia area and was possibly on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The Atlanta Regional Task Force provided this information to the Savannah Office of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force on February 2, 2010 for assistance. Due to the nature of the crimes, the Savannah Task Force immediately began their investigation and requested the assistance of the Beaufort-Jasper Multi Agency Drug Task Force and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department to aid in locating Miller. Miller had family members living on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in two separate apartment complexes. A plan was devised to go to both residences at the same time. Task Force Investigators went to Unit 16 in Woodlake Villa apartments and determined that Miller was not there and that he had gone to Apartment 139 in Sandlewood Apartments. Investigators already on the scene at Sandlewood Apartment were notified of the correct apartment number and went to number 139 and arrested Miller without incident. Miller was taken to the Beaufort County Jail to await extradition proceedings to send him back to Georgia.

The Savannah Office of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Beaufort-Jasper Multi Agency Drug Task Force and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department have maintained a mutually beneficial relationship for many years in regards to investigating and arresting fugitives on both sides of the state line. Recently several members of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department and the Beaufort-Jasper Multi Agency Drug Task Force were sworn in as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals in order to support the Marshals South Carolina Operation Intercept Fugitive Task Force.

Annually, investigations carried out by the U.S. Marshals result in the apprehension of over 36, 000 federal fugitives. More federal fugitives are arrested by the Marshals Service than all other federal agencies combined.

The Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force has three offices: Atlanta, Macon, and Savannah. The task force covers the whole state of Georgia. The Savannah Office of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force is a team comprised of investigators from the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department, the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Marshals Service. The task force objective is to seek out and arrest fugitives charged with violent crimes, drug crimes, sex offenders, and other felonies. In 2009, U.S. Marshals led task forces arrested more than 90,000 state and local fugitives on felony charges.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov/.