U.S. Marshals Capture Virginia Prison Escapees in Michigan

Richmond, VA – Two violent felons who escaped from the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia, are back behind bars. The Grand Rapids Fugitive Task Force apprehended both escapees this evening without incident at a hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan.

During the July 13 escape, a correctional officer was assaulted, and Rashad E. Williams and Jabar Ali Taylor fled through a hole that was cut in a perimeter fence, with a getaway vehicle staged outside of the detention center. Taylor, 20, was serving a sentence for convictions of two counts of second-degree murder and aggravated malicious assault. Williams, 18, was previously convicted of malicious wounding and robbery.

Since the escape, U.S. Marshals pursued numerous leads in several states, showing that the pair was traveling together and had initially fled to Pennsylvania. The nearly two-week fugitive investigation came to an end earlier this evening, 700 miles away from the scene of the escape.

Around 5:00 p.m., the U.S. Marshals-led Grand Rapids Fugitive Task Force arrested the pair in the 5700 block of Beckley Road in Battle Creek, Michigan. Assisting with this evening's arrest were the following agencies: Michigan State Police, Battle Creek and Grand Rapids Police Departments, and the Michigan Department of Corrections. The FBI also provided significant assistance throughout the fugitive investigation.

"This complex investigation and arrest is yet another example of the tenacity and the "never give up" attitude displayed by Deputy U.S. Marshals and our state and local law enforcement partners all over this great country. Hours of dedicated investigative work by our law enforcement team ensured the safety of the public by getting these very dangerous escapees back into custody quickly and safely. I hope the efforts of these law enforcement professionals will in some way allow our citizens in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and elsewhere, to rest more comfortably tonight," said Nick E. Proffitt, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia.

"This evening's apprehension of the escapees from the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center is a result of the extensive investigative efforts and fortitude demonstrated by state and federal law enforcement," said Captain Richard Boyd, commander of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Richmond Field Office. "The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force members, which include Virginia State Police personnel, are to be commended for their exceptional and exhaustive work on this case."

Both Williams and Taylor will be held at the Calhoun County Jail in Battle Creek, Michigan.