Escaped Fugitive Arrested After Nine Month Manhunt

Toledo, OH – On Wednesday, August 10, U.S. Marshals Service captured a fugitive who had been on the run since late 2021. 

Robert Johnson, Jr., 40, is back in U.S. Marshals Service custody. In November 2021, Johnson was being transported to Rock County Jail in Janesville, Wisconsin after being apprehended in Laredo, Texas. He was escorted by a private transportation company hired by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

Johnson was wanted on charges of escape, unlawful possession of dangerous drugs, a sex offender registration violation, and a parole violation. Johnson was on parole for a previous armed robbery conviction.

Johnson requested his handcuffs be removed to use the restroom at the Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. Once his handcuffs were undone, Johnson punched his transporter and escaped.

The arrest of Johnson was made by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) and Toledo Police Department after receiving information from the U.S. Marshals in the Western District of Wisconsin in conjunction with the Great Lakes Regional Task Force.

Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force used the information to attempt Johnson's arrest at a Toledo location. The task force observed Johnson exit the residence and enter a vehicle. The task force immediately attempted a traffic stop, but Johnson fled. The Toledo Police Department took over pursuit which ended when Johnson crashed the vehicle.

Johnson was then arrested without further incident. However, during a search of the vehicle Johnson was driving, a firearm was located and identified as stolen out of North Carolina.

"We are pleased to continue the mission of holding fugitives from justice accountable,” said Kim Gaffney, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Wisconsin. "With the cooperation of our federal, state, and local partners we continue the mission."

The United States Marshals Service is the federal government’s primary agency for fugitive investigations.

Anyone with information on wanted fugitives is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or USMS Tips.