U.S. Marshals Task Force Arrests Sexual Offender

Milwaukee, WI - Kevin A. Carr, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn, and Milwaukee District Attorney John T. Chisholm, announced the arrest of Thomas Thornhill Jr..

Thornhill was arrested today outside of Los Angeles, California at approximately 2:00pm CST by members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Thornhill initially denied his identity when he was taken into custody, but when investigators confronted him about his matching tattoos, Thornhill later admitted his identity.

Thornhill had been charged in Milwaukee County with the sexual assault of a 9 year old child that occurred in 2010. DNA in connection with this case revealed his involvement with a second sexual assault of a 4 year old child that occurred in 2008. The Milwaukee Police Department, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Marshals worked closely together over the past several weeks on the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office assisted the U.S. Marshals in obtaining an Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution warrant (UFAP) on October 26, 2010 when leads were developed out of state.

The Milwaukee Police Department and the U.S. Marshals later developed specific information that placed Thornhill with an associate in California. Over the past several days surveillance was conducted at an address in the area Los Angeles, California. Thornhill was observed by members of the task force this afternoon and taken into custody shortly thereafter.

Thornhill now awaits extradition proceedings in California before being brought back to Wisconsin to face trial in connection with the assaults.