David Jolley, U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, have announced the completion of Operation Triple Beam, a collaborative enforcement operation focused on reducing violent gang crime.
The three-month enforcement effort targeted known street gangs and associates in the Hamilton County area.
Led by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Smoky Mountain Fugitive Task Force, OTB included multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Chattanooga Police Department, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
During OTB, the U.S. Marshals Service and task force partners seized multiple guns and a variety of narcotics, including amphetamines, and closed 130 warrants. These 126 arrests represent violent offenders and criminal gang members wanted on murder, robbery, rape, aggravated assault and assorted drug charges.
In 2010, the U.S. Marshals Service identified gangs as a priority within its violent crime reduction strategy and made a commitment to reinvigorate its gang enforcement efforts. As a result, OTB was created with an emphasis on three main areas: fugitive investigations; targeted firearm and drug investigations; and proactive street investigations and patrols.
Since 2010, the U.S. Marshals Service has led more than 50 counter-gang operations across the country, which have yielded over 8,000 arrests and the seizure of more than 1,800 illegal firearms.
In Chattanooga, OTB yielded seven guns, 126 arrests and 1.526 kilograms of heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and marijuana from multiple locations.
Notable arrests
Subject: Antonio Clements
Charges: Gang member; Gangster Disciple; possession of marijuana for resale; theft of property; possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
On Oct. 31, the OTB Task Force developed information that Clements was staying at a local address. Clements was observed at the residence, and was taken into custody. A search warrant was issued for the residence since information was developed that guns and drugs were possibly inside. A Taurus .357 was located inside the residence along with an unspecified number of pills. Clements was transported to the Hamilton County Jail for booking.
Subject: Maurice Davis
Charges: Four counts of rape of a child.
Maurice Davis was indicted on four counts of rape of a child. The alleged incidents involved a child between the ages of 4 and 12. Davis has an extensive criminal record, including a charge of attempted first-degree murder in 2008. He received a suspended eight-year prison sentence in that case.
On Nov. 18, the OTB Task Force converged at a 28th Street address in an attempt to locate Davis on the above indictments. He was observed entering the residence. He was taken into custody and was transported to the Hamilton County Jail for booking.
Subject: Keontae Bush
Charges: Attempted first-degree murder; domestic assault; reckless endangerment; possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.
Keontae Bush was facing charges after his ex-girlfriend said he fired a gun at her and then ran her off the road on Interstate 75.
On Dec. 11, the OTB Task Force, along with Chattanooga Police Department Fugitive Investigators, developed information that Bush was at the residence of his child’s mother. He was located inside the residence and taken into custody. He was transported to the Hamilton County Jail for booking.
Subjects: Two juveniles
Charges: Escape – Bradley County; carjacking – Chattanooga.
On Nov. 2, 2018, two minors escaped the Bradley County Juvenile Detention Center by climbing a fence. On Nov. 5, the OTB Task Force received information from the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office that both escapees were possibly in Chattanooga at a hotel near Hamilton Place Mall.
The OTB Task Force worked through the night attempting to locate the juveniles. About 6 a.m. on Nov. 6, an armed carjacking occurred at a local motel.
A 13-year-old victim was getting belongings out of a vehicle when he was approached by two young men. The 13-year-old was forced to give the two gunmen the keys to the car. Information developed that the car was off Exit 328 in Dalton. The OTB Task Force along with the Chattanooga Police Department Fugitive Unit went to the area and located the vehicle at a gas station.
Both suspects were taken into custody in the parking lot of the gas station without incident and were transported to the Whitfield County Juvenile Detention Center. The identity of the two subjects has been withheld due to their age.
Subject: Dominique Collins
Charges: Attempted first-degree murder, violation of supervised release – crack cocaine.
A local man got into an argument with a Circle K employee, who said she was going to call someone. Police said she called her son (Collins) as the man called police. The man said he was outside waiting for police to arrive when a white SUV pulled up. He said Collins asked him a question, then pulled out a pistol and shot him in the chest. The man picked Collins from a photo lineup and Collins was added to the TBI Top 10 Most Wanted list.
On Nov. 28, the OTB Task Force developed information that Collins was in the Lynchburg, Virginia area. On Nov. 30, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Lynchburg Police Department went to Langhorne Road in Lynchburg. Task force members knocked on the door and announced their arrival. Collins exited the rear of the residence and jumped from the second story balcony.
He was then apprehended after a brief foot pursuit and transported to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail.
Subjects: Dwight Turner Jr.
Charges: Two counts of vehicular homicide; aggravated assault.
Dwight Turner Jr. is a suspect involved in a traffic crash in which two people were killed on Jan. 3. Through investigation, the Chattanooga Police Department’s Traffic Unit determined Turner was the driver of the Dodge Ram that struck a Chrysler TWC at 1400 South Holtzclaw Ave.
In addition to two people being killed, another person was critically injured as a result of the crash.
On Jan. 14, the OTB Task Force developed information that Turner was staying at an address in Austell, Georgia. On Jan. 15, the South East Regional Task Force arrested Turner in Austell.
Source: United States Marshals Service