Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Two men accused of murder in Illinois and being pursued by the U.S. Marshals were arrested Saturday morning at a Loves Truck stop in Tucumcari, according to federal officials.
James E. Johnson, 22, and Carlton Neely, 20, were arrested by deputy U.S. Marshals and the New Mexico State Police without incident, said Kevin Jackson, head of central Illinois' U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.
Johnson and Neely have been charged with the first-degree murder of Justin Siebenthal, 21, who was shot to death June 13 in Peoria, Ill. Siebenthal was one of at least four people the pair are accused of shooting.
The Marshals Service said the pair fled to California, and investigators were able to track them to Arizona and then New Mexico.
Jackson said U.S. Marshal's Deputies and New Mexico State Police officers had been searching hotels and truck stops in the Tucumcari Area since Friday. He said a tip placed the two suspects in the area.
Jackson said Johnson was recognized by officials by a tattoo on his neck as he was buying food at the truck stop. He said Neely was located in a vehicle in the parking lot and through swift action by deputies and officers, both men were taken in to custody.
Jackson said the timely and safe apprehension of these criminals could not have been possible without the coordination and cooperation of local, state and federal agencies in both Illinois and New Mexico.