(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said he is pleased by the number of people who took responsibility for their outstanding warrants during last week’s Fugitive Safe Surrender events, including one man who was on Columbiana County’s “Top Ten List” of wanted fugitives.
A total of 135 people surrendered during the program which was based out of churches in Trumbull and Columbiana counties. The goal was to enable people with misdemeanor warrants and low-level felonies to surrender in a faith-based, comfortable setting.
“I’m very happy with the number of people who surrendered over the three days we held this event,” said Attorney General DeWine, who visited the churches Thursday. “Fugitive Safe Surrender is a program that helps both suspects and officers. It allows those with warrants to start taking steps to move on with their lives, and it helps prevent the dangerous situations that law enforcement officers could encounter while serving warrants.”
The three day totals are as follows:
| Number of People Who Surrendered |
Trumbull County |
Columbiana County |
| People Surrendered |
111 |
24 |
| People Without Warrants |
46 |
5 |
| People with Misdemeanor Warrants |
62 |
18 |
| Misdemeanor Warrants Cleared |
96 |
23 |
| People with Felony Warrants |
3 |
1 |
| Felony Arrests |
1 |
1 |
“Many of the people who came to Warren’s First United Methodist Church and the Lisbon Church of the Nazarene thought they had warrants but didn’t,” said Attorney General Mike DeWine. “We were able to help many of those folks go through the process of getting their licenses reinstated.”
Kyle Presjak, 21, travelled approximately 1,400 miles from Houston, Texas, to Trumbull County to resolve his warrant for failing to attend a court appearance after he was cited for speeding and driving without a license in Cortland, Ohio, in April 2010.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Presjak said. “I needed to clear this warrant to get on my feet. Now I can get a job and get my license.”
Of those with felony charges who surrendered, one man went to jail on a charge of Domestic Violence, while another man was arrested by Columbiana County Sheriff’s deputies on six felony warrants stemming from Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Authorities in Columbiana County said the suspect was on their “Top Ten List of Wanted Persons” for charges of Theft, Criminal Damaging, Arson and Burglary.
Another Fugitive Safe Surrender event is scheduled to take place in Youngstown this fall.
Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840