U.S. Marshals Nab 249 Memphis Fugitives as Part of National Operation

Memphis, TN – Violent fugitives, wanted for crimes from murder to robbery in the city of Memphis, have been arrested as part of the U.S. Marshals’ Operation North Star III (ONS III), which spanned 20 cities over a three-month period.

The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force along with partner agencies from the local, state, and federal levels participated in the high-impact, fugitive apprehension initiative from June 5th through Septembers 8th. In Memphis, the team arrested 249 fugitives and closed 288 arrest warrants. These warrants included 30 for Murder or Attempted Murder, 23 for Sex Offenses, 75 for Assault, 32 for Robbery, and 38 for weapons charges. A total of 24 firearms were seized.

During a two-week “surge” of ONS III from July 18th to 29th, U.S. Marshals in Memphis were joined by 30 additional law enforcement officers who were sworn in as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals. Among the agencies that participated were the Memphis Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

“Our commitment to the safety of Memphis remains strong,” said United States Marshal Tyreece Miller. “An uptick in violent crime here in Memphis and across the country has not gone unnoticed by the Department of Justice or the U.S. Marshals Service. This operation and the commitment by our partner agencies show that together we will make a difference.”

Notable arrests include:

Rolvin Rodriguez was arrested July 21st for Aggravated Rape of a Child.

Christopher Smith was arrested August 16th for First Degree Murder for the June 20th shooting death of a 3-year-old child that occurred in the 3400 block of West Winchester Place.

Justin Blue was arrested August 19th on a wide variety of charges, including Murder and four counts of Aggravated Assault for a shooting that occurred on June 13th on Lawnview Street.

Nationwide, ONS III targeted violent offenders in 20 cities and resulted in the clearance of 2,818 violent warrants, to include homicide, forcible sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and firearms violations. A total of 555 firearms, more than $1 million in United States currency, and 85 kilograms of illegal narcotics were seized.

The primary jurisdictions of ONS III were Albuquerque; Baltimore; Buffalo, New York; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Houston; Indianapolis; Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee; New Orleans; New York; Oakland, California; Philadelphia; Puerto Rico; and Washington, D.C.

This enforcement action marks the third ONS since July 2022. In total, during these operations, U.S. Marshals have apprehended more than 6,700 wanted fugitives, of which 900 were charged with homicide, in addition to removing more than 900 weapons associated to violent crime. The concept behind interagency law enforcement operations such as ONS evolved largely from regional and district fugitive task forces. Since the 1980s, the U.S. Marshals Service has combined their resources and expertise with local, state, and federal agencies to find and apprehend dangerous fugitives.

The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency Task Force in the Western District of Tennessee. The TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis Police Officers, Fayette County Sheriff’s Deputies, Jackson Police Officers, and the Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents from the Apprehension and Enforcement Unit. The primary mission of the Task Force is to arrest violent offenders and sexual predators.