A child death case out of Sutter County, California, has ended with a fugitive takedown in Liberty Lake, Washington. On Thursday, a regional task force arrested Sherwood D. Johnson II, 37, and Megan M. Fredrick, 33, and booked them into the Spokane County Jail as fugitives. Authorities say the pair are wanted in California on felony warrants alleging murder and willful cruelty to a child resulting in death.
Tip, surveillance and the Liberty Lake takedown
According to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, Spokane County's RAVEN Task Force got a heads-up from a Sutter County detective two days before the arrests. Investigators then launched surveillance in the Liberty Lake area that led them straight to the suspects.
Task force members moved in Thursday evening. Johnson was taken into custody at about 6:00 p.m., and Fredrick was arrested around 6:30 p.m., officials said. Both were booked on fugitive charges and are being held while California authorities work through the extradition process.
Felony warrants and the road back to California
CBS Sacramento reports that the Washington arrests tie directly to felony warrants out of Sutter County alleging murder and willful cruelty to a child resulting in death. The outlet notes the pair are expected to be returned to California to face those charges.
What Sutter County officials allege
A public information officer for the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office told KXLY that Johnson and Fredrick are wanted for allegedly neglecting a child younger than 15 to such an extent that the child died. The underlying case dates back to last year, according to the station.
KXLY also reports that the two are not fighting extradition and are expected to be transported to California to face proceedings there.
Multi-agency task force moves in quietly
The RAVEN Task Force is not a small operation. It brings together investigators from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane Valley Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the DEA, FBI and ATF. That multi-agency team coordinated the Liberty Lake surveillance and arrests, according to KHQ.
Authorities say the coordinated surveillance allowed deputies and agents to take both suspects into custody without any reported incident, a quiet ending to what had been an interstate fugitive search.
What the charges could mean under state law
The allegations of murder and willful cruelty to a child are charged under California law, specifically Penal Code section 187 and Penal Code section 273a. Both are felonies that carry the possibility of significant prison time under state law, according to California Legislative Information and California Legislative Information.
If extradited, Johnson and Fredrick will face preliminary hearings in California, where prosecutors will decide how to formally file the charges.
What officials still are not saying
So far, authorities have kept several key details under wraps. Officials have not released the child’s name, age beyond the fact that the victim was younger than 15, or a full public timeline of what allegedly happened. The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office has also not issued a detailed public statement on the underlying case.
This story will be updated as Sutter County or prosecutors release additional information about the allegations and the court proceedings that follow.
