Operation FALCON Nets 512 Arrests In Green Country

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- Following a five-year tradition in its national efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service locally conducted another successful Operation FALCON - Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally. Led by the U.S. Marshals, Operation FALCON 2009 netted 512 arrests and cleared 638 warrants within the Northern District of Oklahoma in June.

Operation FALCON - The Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force, led by the U.S. Marshals Service in Tulsa, combined the collective efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies in one of the area's largest-ever fugitive initiatives, focusing on capturing individuals wanted on felony charges including sexual predators and fugitives wanted for crimes of violence. Over the course of the 30-day operation, Deputy U.S. Marshals, teamed with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, arrested 512 fugitives, including 24 sex offenders, six homicide suspects, 38 documented gang members and 58 fugitives wanted for weapon and robbery charges. Operation FALCON teams seized 46 firearms, $9,817 in US currency, and over 11 kilograms of Marijuana, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine.

The Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force identified Adam Clayton Roberts as one of their Operation FALCON's Most Wanted. Roberts was wanted by Creek County for two counts of First Degree Homicide, one count of Arson, and one count of Burglary. It is alleged that in early of 2006, Roberts and three associates committed a home invasion and burglary at a residence near Bristow. During the robbery, Roberts allegedly shot and killed a female victim and set fire to the house. As they fled the scene, they shot and killed a 57-year-old male neighbor they believed witness the crime, as his own wife watched from a window. Roberts' three associates were apprehended in late April 2006. Days before Operation FALCON began information led Deputy U.S. Marshal Investigators to believe Roberts may be staying with relatives at an address in Nashville, Tennessee. On June 10, Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Roberts at the address in Nashville after more than three years on the run.

"The goal of Operation FALCON is simple - to make communities safer," said John F. Clark, Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. "Each time we wrap up a FALCON operation in any location, there are less dangerous individuals - and fewer threats to the community - than before we arrived there. That is very gratifying."

Operation FALCON - Tulsa consisted of approximately 198 federal, state and local law enforcement officers working throughout the operation. Each participating local officer was sworn in as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal immediately prior to the start of this operation. According to officials, this special authority empowers them to cross traditional lines of jurisdiction to track down and arrest targeted fugitives throughout the operation.

"Operation FALCON is a clear indication that when the U.S. Marshals Service combines its resources with our state and local law enforcement counterparts to a common mission, the success is remarkable," said U.S. Marshal Timothy Welch of the Northern District of Oklahoma. "Operation FALCON continues to display that federal, state, and local law enforcement officers work well as a collective team in getting some of the ‘worst of the worst' off our streets."

Agencies contributing to Operation FALCON - U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspectors, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Tulsa Police Department, Broken Arrow Police Department, Sapulpa Police Department, Sand Springs Police Department, Jenks Police Department, Bixby Police Department, Glenpool Police Department, Claremore Police Department, Skiatook Police Department, Keifer Police Department, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Oklahoma OID-DHS, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, Rogers County Sheriff's Office, Rogers County D.A.'s Office, Creek County Sheriff's Office, and Mayes County Sheriff's Office.

Nationally, Operation FALCON arrested 35,190 fugitives and cleared 47,418 warrants. Of those fugitives arrested nationally, 2,356 were sex offenders, 900 documented gang members, and 433 fugitives were wanted for homicide related charges. FALCON teams across the country seized 582 firearms and 2,232 kg of narcotics. Since its inception in 2005, Operation FALCON has made 91,086 arrests and cleared 117,874 warrants. It continues to be the largest and most successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S. Marshals history.

Watch The News On 6 at 10:00 Thursday night for Lori Fullbright's report on Operation FALCON.