|
|
|
|
Sheriff Mike Cross debriefs members of his team prior to the start of an operation Thursday, June 23. (IH Photo/Ben Garrett. Click for larger image.)
|
|
|
|
The number one rule of law enforcement is ‘hurry up and wait.’”
Those are the words of Scott County Sheriff Mike Cross. It’s shortly after midnight, and members of the Sheriff’s Department’s “5-0” team are gathered at a rendezvous point in Oneida, waiting for a phone call that may or may not come regarding the whereabouts of a suspect they’re seeking.
Armed with arrest warrants, the team of law enforcement officers is seeking three suspects wanted on sex-related charges. They are three hours into the operation, which is led by Det. Jennifer Culver, the department’s sex crimes investigator.
The night started routine enough, but the primary focus shifted when officers received a tip about possible drug traffic. Sheriff Cross diverted some of his team to search for a vehicle believed to be transporting methamphetamine. The department has busted more than a dozen meth labs in the past nine months, and hampering the drug’s flow through Scott County remains a priority.
“You start off looking for a sex offender and you wind up busting a meth lab,” drug agent Kris Lewallen says. “You just never know how it’s going to go.”
But the search for their suspect is initially fruitless, and the priority returns to the mission at hand.
‘THEY WON'T EXPECT US TONIGHT’
The first suspect sought by the Sheriff’s Department team was Anthony W. Terry. The Winfield man was wanted on nine counts of aggrivated statutory rape, a heightened charge carrying a stiffer penalty than the normal statutory rape charge, and applied when perpetrators are more than 10 years older than their victim. Terry is 38. His alleged victim is just 13.
After a quick debriefing at the Scott County Justice Center in the gathering twilight, officers divided into two teams, with Sheriff Cross and Det. Culver leading one group to an Oneida apartment where Terry is known to stay at times, while Chief Deputy Ronnie Phillips leads a second group to Terry’s Winfield residence.
Lightning flashes continuously in the western sky as a storm rolls in. The National Weather
Service’s Morristown field office issues a severe thunderstorm warning for Scott County. But the wicked weather isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“Our suspects won’t expect us tonight,” Sheriff Cross said. “They won’t think we’re out on a night like this.”
The “5-0” team takes its name from the popular 1970s TV show Hawaii 5-O, in which the Hawaii state police relentlessly hounded organized crime bosses and other criminals plaguing the islands.
In Scott County, law enforcement officers are relentlessly hounding probation violators and other fugitives from justice. The department maintains a “most wanted” list of priority suspects, which is circulated amongst its officers and will eventually be posted on the department’s website, which is currently under construction, to solicit the public’s help in locating the suspects. Officers have arrested a number of those suspects in the last five months; the sheriff says many of them are apprehended after being worn down from the relentless pursuit.
The team’s operations are often carried out at night — operating under the cloak of darkness helps mask their movements from suspects, and night is when suspects often let their guard down. Sleepiness inhibits the senses. Which is why the team of officers is carrying out the operation well into the night, after having already put in a full day on the job.
ONE DOWN, SEVERAL TO GO
As it turns out, the Sheriff’s Department’s wanted man is at neither of the residences where they hope he’ll be. But the team is able to obtain information on his whereabouts — he’s at a companion’s home nearby. Moments later, he was apprehended without incident in the parking lot of an Oneida business.
As Sgt. Gene Yaden transports Terry to the Justice Center for booking — bail has already been set at $150,000 — the 5-0 team is already reorganizing and preparing to go after a second suspect wanted on sex-related charges as torrential rainfall pounds the streets.
While the Sheriff’s Department has warrants for just three suspects, several other sex crime investigations are underway. Det. Culver says the frequency of the crimes seems to be increasing; as many as nine separate investigations have been conducted simultaneously, some taking months to build a foolproof case before officers are ready to apprehend their suspects.
Det. Culver says men convicted of aggravated statutory rape often prey on “weak and vulnerable” young girls. In one case, a suspect allegedly gave a girl less than one-third his age five dollars and half a pack of cigarettes in exchange for sex.
“We have to get these guys off the streets,” Sheriff Cross says. “Every day they’re out there is a day they’re looking for another victim.”
Despite hitting two residences their second suspect is known to occupy at times, officers are unable to locate him; he’s reportedly managed to leave the state.
The focus then turns to a third suspect. Edward A. Burchfield, 43, is wanted on one count of aggravated statutory rape. His alleged victim is 13.
After a brief discussion on whether to approach Burchfield’s Kingtown community residence silently on foot or “storm it” with multiple units, officers opt for the latter, surprising Burchfield as he works inside a garage near his residence.
SHIFTING FOCUS
As Deputy Toby Jeffers transports Burchfield to the Justice Center, where he’ll be placed under $100,000 bail, the night’s primary operation is finished. But Sheriff Cross is determined to take advantage of the benefit the weather has provided.
Doyle Clark, 54, is one of the suspects on the Sheriff’s Department’s “most wanted” list. He’s been wanted since 2008, when he allegedly violated terms of probation he was placed under following a conviction in 2007 for DUI and drug possession.
Plans are made to return to Clark’s Cherry Fork Road residence, where he managed to elude officers attempting to take him into arrest several days earlier. First, however, another call is received. Their potential drug suspect is on the move again. But a drive to a rural area of Scott County again proves fruitless.
“That’s the way it goes when you’re working drugs,” Agent Lewallen says. “You have to have patience. Sometimes you can go after them all night long before catching a break.”
Back in Oneida, the team is gathering to descend on Clark’s residence. Armed with knowledge that he’s asleep inside the residence, officers surround the small mobile home.
Clark refuses to answer the door, but a second man inside the residence eventually relents, and officers discover Clark hidden in a bedroom inside.
It’s been just 19 hours since the work day began as officers make their way back to the Justice Center, and just about five hours until a new work day begins. But the night is deemed a success. Two of three arrest warrants have been successfully executed, and a suspect Sheriff Cross had termed a “priority” has been apprehended.
“You just have to be relentless,” he said. “That’s what it takes.”
[EDITOR’S NOTE — The preceding story makes reference to several suspects arrested during Thursday’s operation. Readers are reminded that none of the suspects have yet appeared in court. Each is considered innocent until proven guilty.]
