A multi-state manhunt for two men wanted in Cary, North Carolina on allegations of sexual crimes against a child ended in a Texas hotel room earlier this month, according to federal officials. The U.S. Marshals Service says the pair were tracked to a Webster hotel and are now being held in Galveston County, in an operation state and local leaders are holding up as a model of interstate teamwork.
The U.S. Marshals Service identified the suspects as Joshua Chrisander Burleson, 35, and Luke Leiserowitz, 34. Members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force arrested the men at a hotel in the 500 block of West Bay Area Boulevard in Webster, Texas, according to a U.S. Marshals Service press release. Cary police obtained arrest warrants in January charging Burleson with three counts of second-degree forcible rape, statutory rape, a statutory sex offense with a child and incest, while Leiserowitz faces first-degree forcible rape, first-degree sex offense and first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, the release states. Officers also seized two handguns from the hotel room before transporting the men to the Galveston County Jail, according to the Marshals.
Gov. Josh Stein on Feb. 18 publicly praised the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force and its partners, saying the arrests “required coordination across several states and partner agencies” and calling for continued cooperation to keep children safe, in X. His post underscored the role of federal-local partnerships in tracking fugitives and protecting victims.
Multi-State Task Forces Followed Leads Across The Map
The Marshals said tips and investigative leads stretched across the country. Investigators from the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Districts of Connecticut and Vermont, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Southern District of Texas Gulf Coast Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force all played a role in tracking the suspects, according to the agency. The U.S. Marshals Service framed the arrests as an example of regional task forces pooling information and resources to locate violent fugitives and get them off the streets.
Charges, Custody And What Comes Next
Cary police secured the arrest warrants in January, and after the capture in Texas the men were booked into the Galveston County Jail, where magistrate proceedings typically follow. Officials there conduct initial hearings that include setting bond and considering extradition requests, according to Galveston County magistrate court information. If North Carolina authorities seek extradition, the process would move through interstate legal channels and the defendants would be returned to Wake County to face the charges. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
The investigation is still active, and Cary police and the Marshals have not released additional details about the alleged victim or the timing of the alleged crimes. Local officials continue to stress the importance of public tips and interagency cooperation in finding fugitives and are urging anyone with relevant information to contact law enforcement.
