Latest news with #U.S.MarshalsService
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
US Marshals Service operation recovers 60 missing children in Florida
A massive investigation into child sex trafficking resulted in the rescue of 60 "critically missing" children in the Tampa Bay area, Florida State Attorney James Uthmeier announced with other officials at a news conference on June 23. "Operation Dragon Eye" was led by the U.S. Marshals Service Middle District of Florida and involved 20 agencies, state officials said. Eight people were arrested, with charges ranging from human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession, and drug trafficking. The investigation was focused on recovering or safely locating "critically missing" children in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. The children's ages ranged from 9 to 17, officials said. "I have to curtail my enthusiasm because of the sensitivity of the victims involved in this operation, but the successful recovery of 60 missing children, complemented with the arrest of eight individuals, including child predators, signifies the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service; or to my knowledge, any other similar operation held in the United States," said William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida. "The real heroes behind this operation are the law enforcement who built and executed this mission. As your Attorney General and a father of three young kids, protecting children is my top priority," Uthmeier said. "If you victimize children, you're going to prison, end of story." What is Operation Dragon Eye? Operation Dragon Eye was a two-week initiative "geared to recover or safely locate the most critically missing youth," the U.S. Marshals Service said in a release. According to Uthmeier, 17 boys and 43 girls were recovered in the two-week targeted operation. The operation had three primary objectives: "The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care," Berger said. "This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return to the streets to be further victimized.' These kids were missing for years. Why experts say parental abductions need attention. What are 'critically missing children'? The Marshals Service defines critically missing children as "those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors, such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence." Operation Dragon Eye was the product of "a multidisciplinary task force of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as social service entities, the medical community, and non-governmental organizations," the Marshals Service said in a released statement. The other agencies included the Florida Attorney General's Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Children and Families, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Pasco Sherriff's Office, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, St. Petersburg Police Department, Tampa Police Department, BayCare, Bridging Freedom, Bridges of Hope, Children's Home Network, Children's Network of Hillsborough County, Family Support Services Pasco Pinellas Counties, More Too Life, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Redefining Refuge. 'Working tirelessly to help make sure that every child has a safe childhood' Since the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act was passed in 2015, the Marshals Service has located or recovered nearly 4,000 missing children. The Marshals Service located or recovered missing children in 66% of the cases it received, according to a released statement. Of those recovered, 61% were found within seven days. In 2024, 200 missing children were found as part of a nationwide operation called "Operation We Will Find You 2," conducted May 20 to June 24 by the Marshals Service and other federal, state, and local agencies across the United States. The 2024 operation, conducted with help from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, recovered and removed 123 children from dangerous situations, the Marshals Service said at the time. The other 77 missing children were located and found to be in safe locations, according to law enforcement or child welfare agencies. Callahan Walsh, executive director of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, applauded the agencies that collaborated in Operation DRAGON EYE to help protect children. "We're proud to have supported the U.S. Marshals Service and our partners in Florida to recover these missing children and provide critical support to those who need it most," Walsh said in a statement. "NCMEC is honored to stand alongside these teams and will continue working tirelessly to help make sure that every child has a safe childhood." Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY
The Hill
4 days ago
- The Hill
Authorities locate 60 ‘critically missing' children in Florida operation: US Marshals
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The United States Marshals Service (USMS) partnered with multiple federal, state, and local government agencies to conduct what the Service called the most successful missing child recovery operation in USMS history. Operation Dragon Eye was a two-week initiative designed to recover or safely locate the most critically missing youth across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties, USMS said. Sixty critically missing children were recovered or safely located as part of the operation, authorities said. 'The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return back to the streets to be further victimized,' William Berger, the United States Marshal for the Middle District of Florida, said. According to USMS, 'critically missing' children are those who are at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors like substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence. 'Operation Dragon Eye was much more than a U.S. Marshals Service operation; it was a community initiative,' said U.S. Marshals Service Deputy in Charge Mario Price. This operation had three primary objectives: recover critically missing youth, provide them with essential services including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities. In addition to recovering missing children, the operation also arrested eight people with charges that included: human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference. According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, officers located 11 missing juveniles and arrested two people, one with human trafficking. 'This operation is a powerful example of the importance of collaboration,' said Tampa Police Department Chief Lee Bercaw. 'These arrests and recoveries serve as a reminder of the Tampa Police Department's commitment to fight to protect our most vulnerable.'
4 days ago
US Marshals operation leads to recovery or location of 60 critically missing children in Florida
The U.S. Marshals in Florida have led a missing child operation this month that 'resulted in the recovery or safe location of 60 critically missing children,' across the state, officials said. The U.S. Marshals Service Middle District of Florida -- working with a number of law enforcement partners -- launched Operation DRAGON EYE, a two-week initiative geared to 'recover or safely locate the most critically missing youth' that the U.S. Marshals are calling 'the most successful missing child operation in USMS history,' according to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service on Monday. 'This operation had three primary objectives: recover critically missing youth, provide them with essential services including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities,' officials said in their announcement of the results of the operation. 'DRAGON EYE resulted in eight arrests, including charges of human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference.' Authorities said that Operation DRAGON EYE was the product of a 'multidisciplinary task force of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as social service entities, the medical community, and non-governmental organizations.' The USMS defines "critically missing" children as those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence, authorities said, and recovered children were provided with medical resources, nourishment, social services and child advocates. Officials working on Operation DRAGON EYE said they are proud of this operation's achievements which located children across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties in Florida. "I have to curtail my enthusiasm because of the sensitivity of the victims involved in this operation, but the successful recovery of 60 missing children, complemented with the arrest of eight individuals, including child predators, signifies the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service; or to my knowledge, any other similar operation held in the United States," said William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida. "The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return to the streets to be further victimized.' Said Callahan Walsh, Executive Director, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: "The success of Operation DRAGON EYE is a testament to what's possible when agencies unite with a shared mission to protect children," "We're proud to have supported the U.S. Marshals Service and our partners in Florida to recover these missing children and provide critical support to those who need it most. NCMEC is honored to stand alongside these teams and will continue working tirelessly to help make sure that every child has a safe childhood."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Operation Dragon-Eye': 60 ‘critically missing' children located in most successful operation
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)—The United States Marshals Service partnered with multiple federal, state, and local government agencies to conduct the most successful missing child recovery operation in U.S. Marshals Service history. Operation Dragon-Eye was a two-week initiative designed to recover or safely locate the most critically missing youth across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties, USMS said. 60 critically missing children were recovered or safely located in part of the operation. 'About darn time': Victims' families react to Leo Govoni's arrest in $100M fraud case Major renovation coming to Hillsborough High School thanks to penny sales tax Hillsborough County teacher tried to smuggle guns to foreign country: US Attorney 'The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return back to the streets to be further victimized,' William Berger, United States Marshal, Middle District of Florida said. According to USMS, 'critically missing' children are those who are at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors like substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence. 'Operation Dragon Eye was much more than a U.S. Marshals Service operation; it was a community initiative,' said U.S. Marshals Service Deputy in Charge Mario Price. This operation had three primary objectives: recover critically missing youth, provide them with essential services including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities. 'The majority were being trafficked. The eight people that we arrested, it wasn't just a child, some of them had multiple children working for them. You know, in the old days we used to call them pimps, now it's human traffickers, but their criminals,' said Bill Berger who is the U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida. Berger said those arrested are facing charges of human trafficking, child endangerment and drug possession. 'They know these children were underage. If you look at the average age of the offender, well into their 30s and 40s and then the age of the children were from 9 to 17,' said Berger. In addition to recovering missing children, the operation also arrested eight people with charges that included: human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference. According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, officers located 11 missing juveniles and arrested two people, one with human trafficking. 'This operation is a powerful example of the importance of collaboration,' said Tampa Police Department Chief Lee Bercaw. 'These arrests and recoveries serve as a reminder of the Tampa Police Department's commitment to fight to protect our most vulnerable.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
New Brunswick man wanted in cop's attempted murder captured by US Marshals
A New Brunswick man has been apprehended on charges he attempted to murder a North Brunswick police officer by ramming a police car in the parking lot of a Route 1 hotel in South Brunswick in May. After a month's long manhunt, Luis Duval-Jimenez, 31, was taken into custody June 18 by the U.S. Marshals Service in North Jersey in connection with the May 15 incident, according to South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka. Duval-Jimenez has been charged with attempted murder of a police officer, resisting arrest and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He has been remanded to the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center pending trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for a pre-indictment conference before Superior Court Judge Colleen Flynn on July 29. The incident began at about 12:35 p.m. when the North Brunswick officers were staking out a room at Hotel Vincenza on Route 1 in South Brunswick, looking for Duval-Jimenez. who was wanted as part of an extensive investigation into car thefts and frauds in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Hayducka said. But Duval-Jimenez accelerated the car and allegedly rammed the police vehicle as North Brunswick Police Lt. Frank Vitelli was getting out of the car, pinning his leg in the doorframe. North Brunswick Police Capt. Cory Harris attempted to open the driver's side door of the Honda to stop Duval-Jimenez from ramming the police vehicle but as the door opened, a loaded handgun dropped out onto the parking lot, Hayducka said. Duval-Jimenez drove out of the parking lot after he rammed the police vehicle. Vitelli was taken by South Brunswick EMS to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where he was treated for a broken ankle. After the Honda Accord left the scene, South Brunswick officers located and arrested two people allegedly connected to the assault on the officer. Angelica Hernandez-Mayrena 25, of New Brunswick, was found nearby on Deans Lane, and Bryan Sanchez, 20, of New Brunswick, was located along Route 1. Hernandez-Mayrena was charged with criminal trespass and Sanchez was chargedwith hindering the apprehension of another. They were both released on a summons. Hayducka and North Brunswick Police Chief Joseph Battaglia thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Officer for their assistance in the investigation and apprehension. Email: mdeak@ This article originally appeared on NJ man wanted in cop's attempted murder captured by US Marshals
