CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — When members of the U.S. Marshals Mountain State Fugitive Task Force arrested an El Salvadoran national wanted on an outstanding warrant from Texas Friday in Charles Town, six other people were arrested as well and charged with being in the country illegally.
The US Marshal’s Service tells The Panhandle News Network Santos Calderon, who is in the U.S. illegally, was taken into custody at the Somerset Village Shopping Plaza in Charles Town.
The local US Marshal’s Service was following up on information that Calderon might be in Charles Town. Calderon was a fugitive from justice related to the 1998 aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of West Virginia Zachary Boyd aid the operation, was not related to immigration enforcement, but said the marshals did “request the assistance of ICE as we knew Calderon was in the country illegally and there would need to be an ICE detainer placed on him should he be located.”
They had been informed the suspect might be working at one of two restaurants in the plaza, specifically either Mi Degollado or La Mezzaluna Café.
Deputy Boyd said when officers approached one of the restaurants and announced their presence as police, “multiple employees, including an individual matching Calderon’s description, attempted to evade law enforcement by quickly closing and locking doors and then climbing into the ceiling above the restaurant.”
Boyd says while the officers had not set out to arrest any other individuals as they searched for Calderon, “Anyone who flees from law enforcement will be pursued.”
“It should be noted that one of the individuals hiding in the ceiling grabbed a box-cutter as he was being taken into custody. One officer was injured and taken to the hospital,” Boyd says, adding the officer was treated and released that day.
As to claims made to the Panhandle News Network by a Charles Town woman that the arrests were part of a targeted ICE raid, Boyd says, “Had those employees not attempted to flee and hide in the ceiling, none of them would have even been approached by law enforcement.”
“This was solely a fugitive operation for a man wanted for sexually assaulting a child in 1998. The other individuals arrested are considered collateral arrests as we were not there primarily for them.”
Charles Town resident Liz Kerwin shared a booking photo of one of those arrested, pointing out the bloody and bruised face of the restaurant employee.
Kerwin referred to the arrests as an ICE raid and said local immigrant families reported what she characterized as “another raid” Sunday at a fast food restaurant in Charles Town.
Deputy Boyd’s original press release regarding Friday’s arrest of Calderon confirmed the arrest of “six other illegal aliens who attempted to evade law enforcement as officers were trying to take Calderon into custody” at the Somerset Village location. Those individuals’ cases “were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
Deputy Boyd’s full statement to the Panhandle News Network:
“Our operation was not an ICE raid and we did not single out employees of any of the restaurants at Somerset Village. We were in the area to serve a warrant on Santos Calderon who was wanted for aggravated sexual assault of a child stemming from an incident which occurred in 1998 in Galveston, TX. We did request the assistance of ICE as we knew Calderon was in the country illegally and there would need to be an ICE detainer placed on him should he be located. We had reason to believe Calderon was working at one of the two restaurants mentioned by the Charles Town residents. As we approached one of the restaurants, and after announcing police presence, multiple employees, including an individual matching Calderon’s description, attempted to evade law enforcement by quickly closing and locking doors and then climbing into the ceiling above the restaurant. Anyone who flees from law enforcement will be pursued and that is what we did. For the public’s safety as well as officer safety, officers took the steps necessary to apprehend the individuals hiding in the ceiling. It should be noted that one of the individuals hiding in the ceiling grabbed a box-cutter as he was being taken into custody. One officer was injured and taken to the hospital. That officer was treated and released later in the day. Had those employees not attempted to flee and hide in the ceiling, none of them would have even been approached by law enforcement. This was solely a fugitive operation for a man wanted for sexually assaulting a child in 1998. The other individuals arrested are considered collateral arrests as we were not there primarily for them.”
MetroNews Reporter Luke Wiggs contributed to this story.