Most Wanted criminal lived
Laura Bond, Reporter
09-04-2008
A 25-year-old fugitive on the Texas Top Ten Most Wanted List could not find an extended refuge in Ruston.Sidney Campbell, who was wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old and kicking a police officer in Texas, was arrested by local law enforcement officials at a residence on Riser Road shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’re certainly proud to get him off the streets of Lincoln Parish,” said Lincoln Parish Sheriff Mike Stone at a press conference Wednesday. “The longer he’s out on the streets ups the chance he will commit a crime here. You might have read about this guy doing something horrendous here or in Ouachita Parish.”
Campbell was also believed to be a crack cocaine and methamphetamines dealer and a “master manipulator,” according to America’s Most Wanted Web site.
The fugitive, whose Ruston residence was on McBride Street, had apparently been living in the city approximately eight months before he was detained by the LPSO with the assistance of the Ruston Police and SWAT team. He used the aliases Wesley and William Moore.
According to the AMW Web site, Campbell paved the way to his arrest by becoming intoxicated and telling acquaintances in Ruston his real name and that he was a wanted man. A concerned individual who heard the disclosure did a little Internet research and contacted the police after he discovered that Sidney Campbell was listed on U.S. Marshal’s and Americas Most Wanted Web pages.
When police arrived to arrest Campbell, the fugitive stepped outside and was detained without a fight, said LPSO Sgt. Johnny Murad.
“There were a lot more of us than there were of him,” Murad said.
Campbell is being held at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center until he is extradited for the charges.
During the news conference at Lincoln Parish Courthouse, Stone praised the work of Murad, deputy Mike Rainwater, LPSO Commander Kenneth Wesley, RPD Lt. Chris Bittick and the LPSO crisis and SWAT teams for their work in helping the arrest move forward without incident.
“I think the most important thing we have here is cooperation between agencies,” RPD Chief Steve Rogers said.
According to a news release from the U.S. Marshal’s Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force, the investigation is arguably the most extensive fugitive investigation undertaken by their team.
Campbell, who is distinguishable by facial scars from a burn suffered in childhood, was wanted by the U.S. Marshal Service, for flight to avoid prosecution, as well as the Texas Pardon and Parole Board, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office in Henderson, Texas, and the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office in Longview, Texas, for violations that include aggravated sexual assault of a child, assault of a public servant, unauthorized use of a vehicle and a burglary parole violation.
In addition to the charges for which he was sought, Campbell’s criminal history also includes marijuana possession, simple battery, theft and juvenile probation escape — where he allegedly climbed out of the second-story window of a Texas courthouse while still wearing handcuffs.
Stone said there has been no one by the name of Sidney Campbell or his aliases arrested since the fugitive arrived in Ruston. No other local arrests have been made in connection to Campbell, and Stone said he does not anticipate any.
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