Savannah man arrested in Oklahoma City

WASHINGTON --  The U.S. Department of Justice's U.S. Marshals Service issued the following news release:     A Savannah man wanted by the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department was arrested by the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Oklahoma City, Okla., on June 26, 2009.  

Michael Allen Dimsdale, 29, was being sought a state warrant for Possession of Firearms by a Convicted felon, issued on June 24, 2009 in Savannah, GA.  The case was turned over to the U.S. Marshals, Savannah Office of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force to locate and arrest. The Task Force conducted an extensive investigation to try and find him in the Savannah area and in South Carolina.

On Sun., July 26, 2009, the Savannah Marshals generated leads that placed Dimsdale in Oklahoma City, Okla.   This information was passed to the Marshals Fugitive Squad in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Fugitive Squad immediately responded to the area in which Dimsdale was supposed to be staying.

Dimsdale was staying in a local motel and the Marshals had to use force to make entry into the room.  Dimsdale was taken in to custody and taken to the local jail to await extradition back to Georgia.  

Annually, investigations carried out by the U.S. Marshals result in the apprehension of approximately 36, 000 federal fugitives.  More federal fugitives are arrested by the Marshals Service than all other federal agencies combined.  

The Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force has three offices: Atlanta, Macon, and Savannah. The task force covers the whole state of Georgia. The Savannah Office of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force is a team comprised of investigators from the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Chatham County Sheriff's Department, the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Marshals Service.

The task force objective is to seek out and arrest fugitives charged with violent crimes, drug crimes, sex offenders, and other felonies. 

Last year, U.S. Marshals Task Forces arrested more than 58,600 state and local fugitives on felony charges.  

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov/.