A 59-year-old man wanted in Stark County for rape and sexual battery who allegedly victimized a mentally handicapped person for over eight years was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Florida.
Howard Howell was taken into custody in Ft. Lauderdale Tuesday morning, according to a news release from the Marshals.
A warrant was issued for Howell, and the case was turned over to the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force in Canton, the news release states. Investigators who worked the case learned that Howell had spent some of the year in Ft. Lauderdale.
On Tuesday morning, information was sent to the U.S. Marshals Service Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force in southern Florida. Within hours, Howell was in custody, the release states. He remains in jail in Florida until he can be returned to northern Ohio to face charges locally.
“This is yet another great example of how quickly dangerous fugitives can be brought to justice with the corporation the U.S. Marshals has with its local law enforcement partners,” stated U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott.
