16 Arrested in Chester

Media, PA – During the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 26, 2011, members of federal and local law enforcement agencies conducted a fugitive sweep in the City of Chester looking for criminal defendants who have warrants resulting from their failure to appear in the Court of Common Pleas and local magisterial district court and generating violations of probation and parole.  

The participating agencies included: the U.S. Marshals Service; the Criminal Investigation Division of the Office of the District Attorney; the Delaware County Sheriff; the Pennsylvania State Constables; the Chester Police Department Anticrime Unit and Detectives Division; the Chester Township Police Department, and the Darby Township Police Department.

Sixteen defendants were apprehended without incident.  One hundred and three defendants could not be located at their last known addresses.  Active warrants remain for those individuals.

The defendants who were apprehended today include:

Elijah Bland of the 1100 block of Brown Street

Darryl Cacciatore of the 2600 block of Peoples Street

Pamela Cobia of the 200 block of East 9^th Street

Felix DeLeon of the 900 block of West 9^th Street

Keith Ford of the 300 block of Ward Street

Quaron Gillison of the 1100 block of West 3^rd Street

John Jones of the 100 block of Thurlow Street

Michael Leander, Jr. of the 2700 block of South Norwood Street

Melinda Lebron of the 100 block of East 7^th Street

Bruce Lilley of the 1400 block of Purnsley Terrace

James McCray of the 300 block of Parker Street

James McCreery of the 1200 block of Hancock Street

Derek Nicholson of the 400 block of East 10^th Street

Denelle Palm of the 300 block of Ward Street

Natalie Reid of the 2600 block of Peoples Street

Vania Williams of the 1100 block of Hyatt Street

“Operation Sunrize” was coordinated by Detective David Tyler of the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance of Lieutenant Joseph Blackburn, supervisor of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Warrant Unit; Lieutenant Charles List, supervisor of the Criminal Investigation Division’s Homicide Unit and who is a specially designated member of the U.S. Marshal Service; Captain Joseph Massi, supervisor of the Chester Police Department’s Anticrime Unit, Captain Anita Amaro, supervisor of the Chester Police Department’s Detective Division; and Chief Leonard McDevitt, Jr. of the Darby Township Police Department who is also a specially designated member of the U.S. Marshals Service.

District Attorney G. Michael Green was at the off-location command center during the operation and stated, “Fugitive sweeps have been used to apprehend criminal defendants who fail to appear for scheduled court dates and who fail to meet their court ordered obligations while on probation or parole.  Their fugitive status creates a possible risk to the law-abiding residents living in our communities.  These operations are time intensive and require the collaborative effort of all involved.  I commend all members of law enforcement who participated in this professionally executed operation.”  

Further, District Attorney Green warns, “To those defendants who have failed to appear for court listings and to those who have warrants for probation violations- and they know who they are- I encourage them to immediately surrender to their local police department.  Their prolonged failure to meet their obligations under a court of law may lead to their apprehension- on any street, in any vehicle, in any residence, at any time.”