A man wanted in Tennessee for probation violation after an attempted rape conviction was found Monday, concealed beneath a trap door in the floor of a mobile home, said the U.S. Marshals. WREG reports that Billy Lee Walton Jr., 35, originally convicted in 2016, was on a 12-year probation when he defied the law once more by committing several traffic violations including reckless driving and driving under the influence, alongside drug charges, as per the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s accusations back in June.
The U.S. Marshals’ Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force in Jackson spearheaded the chase, executing the probation violation warrant issued for Walton—who was added to the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry—and eventually discovered him in Jackson Mobile Village in Denmark, Tennesse. The hideout, a primitive refuge, was a cut-out space beneath a trailer’s floor, covertly accessed through a trap door obscured by a rug, as per FOX13 Memphis.
U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller shed light on the operation's success by declaring, "Someone created a pretty good hiding spot, but it wasn't good enough to outsmart the U.S. Marshals Service," a sentiment echoed in statements obtained by FOX13 Memphis. Following the strategic and meticulous search, Walton was apprehended without incident and detained in the Madison County Jail, confirmed by sources from the U.S. Marshals Service.
