In a methodical pursuit stretching across a dozen years, U.S. Marshals in New Orleans apprehended Shawn Brooks, an Akron cold case fugitive on the run since 2013, reported the Akron Police Department via a social media post.
Brooks, 37, evaded law enforcement since a 2013 warrant for his arrest was issued by the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida, relating to 15 counts of sexually based offenses involving minors – and was concurrently sought by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio on additional charges including pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, importuning, and disseminating material harmful to a juvenile in an 11-count warrant dating back to 2015 Brooks had managed to avoid detection by assuming stolen identities while on the run.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) zeroed in on Brooks' whereabouts, leading investigators from Ohio to suspect he was harboring in Louisiana with his girlfriend. Last Friday morning, the marshals traced Brooks to an address in the 800 block of 3rd St. in New Orleans, where he attempted to elude capture by barricading himself and then resorting to the desperate measure of crawling into a neighbor’s attic.
Nevertheless, Brooks was ultimately detained and is currently housed at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office awaiting extradition to face his numerous charges, with U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott affirming, “Our teams will never stop looking for violent fugitives, no matter how long they are on the run. Anyone who hurts a child will be at the top of our list," according to the Akron Police Department's statement. The NOVFTF continues their ongoing efforts to apprehend fugitives and encourages the public to report any information on wanted individuals through their hotline at 1-866-4WANTED or through a web tip, ensuring tipsters the option for anonymity and possible reward money.
