Law enforcement sweep nets 53 on domestic violence warrants

10/16/2009

Fifty-three people were arrested during a day-long sweep Thursday by local law enforcement agencies targeting those with domestic violence warrants.

Local law enforcement and community leaders announced the results of the 12th annual domestic violence sweep and encouraged those with outstanding warrants to turn themselves in. The sweep, held annually during October, was the most successful to date in terms of number of arrests.

But still, dozens of perpetrators remain at large.

"That's what this does, it brings them in," Lucas County Sheriff James Telb said of the sweep. "They need to be brought forward. … We're not going to make a big dent in crime but we're going to prevent some people from being hurt."

Law enforcement agencies participating in the roundup included the sheriff's departments in Allen, Wood, and Lucas counties, the police departments in Toledo, Clay Township, Fremont, and Pemberville, and the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification, and the Adult Parole Authority.

The sheriff said officers focused on 250 offenders and hoped that many more would turn themselves in once they were aware that they were being sought. He added some arrests made during the sweep were a result of outstanding warrants discovered on people who were not initially targeted.

Advocates urged victims of domestic violence to seek help and to pursue charges.