County Sheriff Announces 35 Fugitives Arrested in Raids

Sheriff Gary Schaffer and U.S. Marshal James Plousis announced that 35 fugitives have been arrested and three ounces of cocaine seized in a three=day operation to track down fugitives wanted by Cape May Law Enforcement.
This is the second time in the last year that both these agencies have partnered to bring criminals and fugitives to justice.
The US Marshals Service’s New York / New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and members of the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office began investigating and tracking the locations of wanted persons six weeks ago.
Sheriff Schaffer assigned members of his Warrants and ID Bureau to work directly with the US Marshal’s Office and used the valuable resources that the Marshal’s Task Force has to assist in tracking down fugitives from Cape May County.
Sheriff Officer Theresa McKnight was assigned to the task force full time during this period.
Sheriff Schaffer said, “The professionalism and help of the US Marshal’s Office in tracking down these fugitives was outstanding. The cooperation and dedication in getting the job done was superior. We will continue to work hand in hand with the US Marshal’s Office and other law enforcement agencies as our Sheriff’s Officers continue their dedicated work in removing Cape May County fugitives of justice from our streets. Our Sheriff’s Office will aggressively pursue every fugitive from Cape May County as a means of making our county a safer place to live.”
Fugitives were arrested throughout the state of New Jersey from Newark to Cape May and throughout the State of Pennsylvania.
Teams of officers from various agencies participated in the operation. As more tips were developed as to locations during the sweeps, information was passed on to police departments where the fugitives were located and they were apprehended.
“I would like to thank Cape May County Prosecutor Robert Taylor for his office’s assistance and all of the agencies that participated in this operation. It was a smooth operation that shows how well agencies can work together throughout this state and adjoining states when it comes to criminal apprehension. I need to really thank the officers from the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff’s Division and Correctional Division for their dedication and professionalism. During this period of time we had to rearrange assignments and schedules, cover shifts to allow the research and investigation into the location of these fugitives possible. Also the officers from the Correctional Center and ID Bureau did an outstanding job processing such a large amount of inmates in a short period of time in addition to the volume they already handle,” said Sheriff Schaffer.
The United States Marshal for the District of New Jersey, James T. Plousis, stated,”…it was only through the collaborative efforts of our partner agencies that led to the successful arrests of these dangerous fugitives. I personally want to thank every officer who diligently and relentlessly pursued Cape May County’s ‘worst of the worst’ and who continue to keep our neighborhoods safe.” Officers from several federal, state and local agencies were involved in this operation. They include the Cape May County Sheriffs Department, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, NJ Div Of Criminal Justice, NJ State Police, NJ Dept. of Corrections, NJ State Parole, Lower Twsp. PD, Wildwood Crest PD, Vineland PD, Atlantic Co. Sheriffs, Atlantic City PD and the Cape May County Prosecutors Office.
The following individuals were arrested: