Cleveland, OH – The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) has arrested 39-year-old James Thompson. Thompson was wanted for various crimes throughout Lorain and Erie Counties.
On May 10, 2021, Vermilion Police stopped Thompson in his vehicle. They had initially been looking for Thompson regarding a custody case but were called to the area for a report of a suspicious vehicle. When officers made contact with Thompson and asked for his driver’s license, he told them he did not need one because he was a sovereign soul and Jesus Christ told him he did not need a license. Thompson then fled from officers in his truck. Eventually Thompson crashed into a ditch and led officers in a foot pursuit into the Vermilion Country Club golf course. Officers were not able to locate Thompson on that day, but they did recover ammunition for an AK-47, a bullet proof vest, knives, and survival gear in his truck.
Members of the NOVFTF worked closely with the Vermilion Police Department, Erie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office over the past week to try to locate Thompson. He was wanted for fleeing from police, weapons under disability, and possession of dangerous ordinances.
Early this morning, members of the task force located Thompson in a vehicle in the Mill Hollow Vermilion River Reservation. He was arrested without incident.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “This fugitive posed an incredible danger to not only law enforcement when he fled but also to the community. A great partnership with the Sheriff’s Offices and Vermilion Police brought this case to a quick end with the suspect being arrested without any more danger to the community.”
Photo courtesy of U.S. Marshals of Northern Ohio
(Copyright, iHeartMedia, 2021)
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