30 from Grant County included in 232 arrests by U.S. Marshals

EPHRATA - Nearly 30 wanted felons in Grant County were arrested during a fugitive sweep of eastern Washington by the Pacific Northwest Violent Offenders task force, which includes four members of the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

Craig Thayer, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Washington, announced the successful completion of “Operation Scattergun II”. The task force is comprised of Deputy U.S. Marshals from the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington, the District of Alaska, and the District of Oregon, along with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Operation Scattergun II ran from the evening of June 4 through June 7. Teams of task force officers worked any and all felony warrants in the Eastern District of Washington with a focus on the Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Yakima regions.

Ordinarily the main focus of the PNVOTF is toward sex offenders and other violent offenders. During Operation Scattergun II some of the notable fugitives arrested included:

• Eugene Elkins (age 56) for the alleged homicide of his wife in Grays Harbor County;

• Chad Jackson (age 25) for 2 counts of 3rd Degree Rape of a Child;

• Rogelio Rivera (age 28) indicted on federal charges in September 2011 for Possession of an Unregistered Firearm (sawed-off shotgun).

Among the 232 felony arrests made, there were 34 non-compliance felony warrants, 53 DOC Warrants, as well as federal, state and local felony warrants.