Tips and information from the community gathered during the Lake County Sheriff’s Office ‘Wanted Wednesday’ initiative led to the apprehension of another fugitive.
On December 5, 2018, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office posted a flyer for Keanu C. Gibson, 23, of the 1600 block of Barnhart Court, Zion. Gibson was wanted on a failure to appear arrest warrant for criminal sexual abuse, violating the sexual offender registry, and burglary ($1,000,000.00 bond). He was also wanted on an arrest warrant for escape ($1,000,000.00 bond). Gibson’s ‘Wanted Wednesday’ social media post was shared over 1,000 times and seen by over 50,000 people.
On December 12, 2018, the Lake County Sheriff’s Warrants Team received a tip stemming from ‘Wanted Wednesday’ indicating Gibson fled from Illinois to avoid apprehension. Members of the Sheriff’s Warrants Team and U.S. Marshals Service-Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force (USMS-GLRFTF) developed information indicating Gibson was residing at a residence in the 2000 block of Palisades Drive, Dayton, Ohio.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Warrants Team collaborated with the U.S. Marshals Service-Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (USMS-SOFAST). On December 20, 2018, members of the USMS-SOFAST approached the residence on Palisades Drive. They heard movement in an upstairs bedroom and deployed a robot to check the room. Using the robot, they discovered Gibson hiding in an upstairs closet. He was arrested without incident and transported to the Montgomery County, OH, jail, where he remains held pending extradition hearings.
In August of 2018, Gibson was sentenced to ten-months of periodic imprisonment. One of the conditions ordered by the Court allowed Gibson to have a job, but required him to report back to the Community Based Corrections Center immediately after work, and during the overnight hours. On October 19, 2018, Gibson cut off his electronic monitoring device and did not return to the Community Based Corrections Center following his shift at work. Both arrest warrants (totaling $2,000,000.00 bond) were issued after Gibson didn’t return to the Community Based Corrections Center.
Sheriff John Idleburg said, “We are grateful for the community’s participation in our ‘Wanted Wednesday’ initiative. Because of the community’s engagement and tips, we’ve apprehended several fugitives. This is another example of community partnerships helping to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
Sheriff Idleburg reminds the public the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.