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Cincinnati, OH – Antonio Portis, 19 years of age, Demar
Edmonds, 22
years of age, and Jerome Taylor, 43 years of age, were arrested
yesterday by the U.S. Marshals led Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension
Strike Team (SOFAST).
Antonio Portis was wanted for murder in connection with the shooting
death of 26 year old Michael Cephas on September 21, 2009 on Dutch
Colony in Cincinnati. Portis was located hiding out in a house on
Earnshaw Avenue in Cincinnati. After realizing that the house was
surrounded, Portis along with two other occupants surrendered and were
taken into custody. Additionally, five firearms were seized out of the
residence.
Demar Edmonds, was recently indicted for the July 26, 2005 murder of 21
year old Joshua C. Rice at 474 Dayton Street in Cincinnati’s West End
neighborhood. Edmonds was located and arrested at an apartment complex
on the 1900 block of Kentucky Avenue in Cincinnati. Edmonds is currently
on probation for weapons under disability.
Jerome Taylor was wanted for an Armed Robbery and Abduction that
occurred in January 2009. Taylor, whose criminal history dates back to
1984, was previously convicted of drug possession and drug trafficking.
Taylor was located and arrested at an apartment complex on the 1500
block of East McMillan in Cincinnati.
The U.S. Marshals led task force, SOFAST developed information that all
three individuals were currently hiding out in the Cincinnati area.
After following up on numerous leads, members of SOFAST were able to pin
down the locations on Portis, Edmonds, and Taylor. All three individuals
were apprehended within hours of each other and booked into the Hamilton
County Justice Center. U.S. Marshal Cathy Jones stated, "Our task force
officers and Deputy U.S. Marshals are risking their lives everyday to
make our communities safer. Three violent fugitive felons are behind
bars in a matter of hours due to interagency cooperation and
professional commitment."
SOFAST is a multi-jurisdictional task force comprised of the U.S.
Marshals, Cincinnati Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s
Office, Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Warren County Prosecutor’s
Office, U.S. Department of Agriculture OIG, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and
Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement
agency. Annually, U.S. Marshals arrest more than 50 percent of all
federal fugitives and serve more federal warrants than all other federal
agencies combined.
For more information on other USMS Top 15 fugitives
and USMS Major Cases, go to www.usmarshals.gov.
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America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency |
