Oklahoma intercourse offender and ‘10 Most Wanted’ suspect arrested in New York 13 years after faking disappearance, officers say | EUROtoday

An Oklahoma intercourse offender on the state’s “10 Most Wanted” record has been arrested in New York 13 years after faking his disappearance, officers say.

Anthony Lennon has been wished on eight counts of possession of kid pornography since March 2012. At the time, Moore Police Department detectives have been known as to a neighborhood Super 8 Motel, the place Lennon had labored, and located a suspicious crime scene, the Marshals Service stated in a latest information launch.

“Another employee noticed a pool of blood, Lennon’s shoe, bloody shoe prints, shirt buttons, and money missing from the hotel money drawer,” federal authorities stated.

Lennon, who was working towards a doctorate diploma in laptop science on the time of his disappearance, was accused of “leaving behind falsified evidence to make it appear he had been abducted,” the Marshals Service stated.

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The day earlier than he vanished, he emptied his checking account, claiming to the financial institution teller that he was in authorized bother, based on authorities.

During the Moore Police Department’s investigation into Lennon, they discovered “chat logs, a desktop computer, and stacks of compact discs containing images of children and infants being violently raped and sexually assaulted,” federal authorities stated.

At the time of his disappearance, Lennon was dealing with 20 years in jail after pleading responsible to 5 counts of aggravated possession of kid pornography in 2008.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond stated in a separate information launch, “In that case, a friend using Lennon’s computer discovered about 50 gigabytes of images of graphic child pornography.”

After greater than a decade on the run, federal and native authorities have been capable of finding Lennon and interview him in New York beneath the alias Justin Phillips.

The Marshals Service stated Lennon’s ”true id was confirmed via fingerprint evaluation.”

Drummond stated Lennon was captured in upstate New York on Thursday.

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It’s unclear whether or not Lennon has obtained an lawyer but.

Lennon was added to Drummond’s “10 Most Wanted” program in July. The program started in September 2024.

“This man is accused of committing a terrible crime involving children and this arrest illustrates the professionalism, communication, and teamwork of all the various agencies involved in the arrest and to provide justice for the victims,” Marshal Johnny L. Kuhlman stated in an announcement.

The Moore Police Department stated in a Facebook publish, “This case remains active and under investigation, but with his capture, we can now begin the process of holding Lennon accountable for the crimes he committed against children in our community.”

“I appreciate the thorough investigative work by the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Moore Police Department and all of the law enforcement agencies involved in locating and apprehending this child predator,” Drummond stated in an announcement. “He evaded justice for far too long but will now face the consequences of his actions.”