East Texas Fugitive Roundup

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Marshall Service has announced the arrest of 153 persons in East Texas. The arrest of the fugitives, gang members, sex offenders and violent criminals occurred during a six-week initiative, called Operation Violence Reduction12. This marks the second straight year the U.S. Marshals Service has conducted a high-impact national fugitive apprehension initiative focusing on the country’s most violent offenders. The Marshall service partnered with state and local law enforcement agencies to form the Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force for the operation.

Among those arrested was Todd Okeith Smith, who was wanted in Jefferson for manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance. Information developed indicating that Smith had previously stated that he would not be arrested alive and planned to kill any police officers that attempted to arrest him. He was arrested earlier this month by Longview police following a brief traffic chase.