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Seventy-two people across the Southern District of West Virginia have been arrested in a month-long sweep targeting sex offenders and violent fugitives.
Operation Spring Sweep began March 9. The U.S. Marshals Service along with West Virginia State Police and more than two dozen regional law enforcement agencies arrested 18 convicted sex offenders for failing to register as required by law, as well as 12 more wanted for sex crimes.
“You would hope that we live in a world where sex offenders, once they’re convicted, stay compliant. But unfortunately, that’s not the case,” said Deputy U.S. Marshal Mark Waggamon, who led the operation. “These guys are constantly not updating addresses, phone numbers, places of employment or cell devices that they have.”
The issue, Waggamon said, is that cellular devices that aren’t registered with the West Virginia State Police can be used to access social media accounts and the children who are engaged on those accounts.
“Just for an example, a lot of sex offenders like to use the app Roblox to solicit children. They like to use Snapchat, they like to use Instagram, and they like to use Facebook to groom and solicit minors,” Waggamon said.
Among those arrested:
- Gary Lee Blevins, 44, of Huntington. U.S. Marshals took him into custody March 9 in Fort Worth, Texas, on a warrant for sexual assault in the first degree and sexual abuse. The charges stem from allegations involving a 6-year-old child between 2022 and 2023.
- Thomas Yancy, 36, of Huntington. After fleeing West Virginia, he was arrested March 11 in New Lexington, Ohio on charges of sexually abusing of a 13-year-old girl.
Other arrests were made for possession with intent to deliver controlled substances, violent offenses and parole violations.
During the targeted operation, which ran through April 4, law enforcement officers seized:
- 8 Firearms
- Approximately 50 pounds of marijuana
- Approximately $36,481 in U.S. currency
- 488.29 grams of fentanyl
- 114.36 grams of methamphetamine
- 43 assorted prescription pills
“Operation Spring Sweep shows exactly who we are. West Virginia is leading this country in being tough on crime, especially crimes against the most vulnerable,” Moore Capito, United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, said.
“We are targeting violent offenders and sexual predators who refuse to register and think the rules don’t apply to them. They haven’t learned their lesson – but they will. We will find them, and we will bring them to justice. That’s what this operation is about,” Capito said.
Confidential tips about non-compliant sex offenders and fugitives evading arrest can be sent online to the U.S. Marshals Service or by calling 1-877-WANTED-2.