SALT LAKE CITY -- The US Marshals Violent Fugitive Apprehension Team makes it their mission to capture the most violent and dangerous criminal fugitives on our streets.
And in 2018 they’ve had a record-setting year.
VFAST made arrest number 725 just Tuesday with the apprehension of 24-year-old Cody Lynn Parris.
Fox 13 viewers might remember he allegedly placed a hoax explosive device outside of a Kearns elementary school in 2015.
He initially confessed to the crime but then went on the run. Now he’s back in jail.
Another high-profile capture was the arrest of Robert Marquez last month.
Police in Tooele say Marquez fired several shots into a car he believed belonged to a rival drug dealer, but the car he allegedly hit contained a local family of three, including a child in a car seat.
Local police had a difficult time tracking him down, but within a few days officers with VFAST had Marquez back behind bars after a brief chase and car crash.
Matthew D. Harris, US Marshal for Utah, says the team focuses on the most violent felony offenders and said so far they’ve had a successful year.
“The task force is setting records that they haven’t set before,” Harris said. “And what makes me most proud is that we are focusing on the most violent people in our communities… While the criminals are sleeping, we’re working to find them."
Another thing Marshall Harris says he’s extremely proud of is the fact that the vast majority of the officers who make up the 90 person VFAST strike force are local cops.
