(Cleveland, OH) - 23 missing or high-risk juveniles have been recovered by a joint operation led by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and the Akron Police Department (APD).
Operation Safe Space began August 9, 2021 and continues through September, focuses on the most vulnerable juveniles to help ensure the kids are not only recovered but are provided the services they need upon recovery.
The juveniles were recovered in Akron, Canton, Warren, Cuyahoga Falls and Cleveland.
In addition, two adults were charged with interference with custody and obstructing official business for keeping the children from their legal guardians and trying to mislead investigators.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Akron, Bath, Copley, Cuyahoga Falls, Dalton, North Canton, Norton, Kent, Tallmadge, Twinsburg, and the University of Akron Police Departments all assisted in the recoveries.
The recovery of missing and endangered children is a primary investigative mission for the U.S. Marshals Service and a top priority in the Northern District of Ohio. Since October of 2020, the USMS and its law enforcement partners have located and recovered fifty-eight (58) missing or endangered children across Northern Ohio.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “The recovery of our high-risk youth is of the utmost importance and we take that responsibility seriously to find and locate these kids swiftly and safely. The USMS has excellent law enforcement partners, whose hard work and dedication is evident during operations like this.”
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of a known fugitive is encouraged to contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED or you can send a web tip at the following webpage http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/oh-n/index.html.
Tipsters can remain anonymous and reward money is available. The Task Force’s “Dangerous Dozen” fugitives can be viewed at http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/oh-n/fugitives/pdf/dangerous_dozen.pdf, which is updated monthly.
(Copyright, iHeartMedia, 2021)