A fugitive wanted on state and federal charges was apprehended Thursday after US marshals discovered him hiding inside the wall of an attic in Cleveland, the US Marshals Service announced.
Terrell Sparks, 29, was wanted by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for a probation violation involving aggravated burglary and assault.
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He also faced federal charges in the Northern District of West Virginia for conspiring to distribute cocaine bases, heroin, and fentanyl, as well as delivering cocaine within 1,000 feet of a protected area. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the federal case in West Virginia.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force had been looking for Sparks since August, when authorities in West Virginia believed he had fled to Cleveland.
He had already eluded law enforcement twice, once by car and once on foot, and was named Cleveland’s fugitive of the week last month.
On Thursday morning, task force members searched a residence in the 8300 block of Medina Avenue.
Sparks was discovered hidden in the attic after a thorough search, and he was arrested without incident. He will be kept locally pending his extradition to West Virginia.
“This fugitive thought he could run forever, but the task force doesn’t give up,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said in a statement. “Whether it’s here in the city of Cleveland, across northern Ohio or across the country, the U.S. Marshals Service will bring fugitives to justice.”
Anyone with information on a wanted fugitive is encouraged to call the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833) or submit an online tip. Tipsters can stay anonymous, and reward money is offered.
