Manhunt over – now a quest for answers

Sheriff David B. Shoar dispatched investigators George Harrigan and Charles Brantley to Seattle Washington to interview 26 year-old Joseph Dean Roberts — who has been aggressively sought by the U.S. Marshal Service in a nationwide manhunt that ended Tuesday night.

Roberts was taken into custody by Seattle Police at about 4:30 p.m., Pacific Time, Tuesday, October 12, 2010. He had been stopped by loss prevention officers after he entered and left a retail store in the Seattle area without paying for several items from their delicatessen.

Roberts provided a false identity to store security officers; telling them that his name was “Andrew Lake”, and, according to Seattle Police Officer Joseph Mahar, Roberts was unable to come up with his date of birth.

When Mahar arrived on the scene and confronted Roberts, he says Roberts provided him with his correct identifying information. Mahar reported that he transported Roberts to the North Precinct after police verified the existence of Robert’s outstanding warrants.

According to Seattle Police, they turned custody of Roberts over to Detective Moore of the Pacific Northwest Fugitive Task Force. Sheriff Shoar told Historic City News that his detectives arrived yesterday and they have already spoken with Roberts.

Public Information Officer Charles E. Mulligan explained that he could not release information concerning Roberts’ criminal history from other counties or nationally, if one exists. However, at least locally, the Sherriff’s Office has been aware of Roberts since it was alleged that he had inappropriate contact with one or more children at a school bus stop — allegations that Mulligan says were never proven.

Roberts had misdemeanor arrests for petit crimes in St. Johns County involving theft and shoplifting; he was found by deputies occupying an abandoned house, which he may have burglarized, but certainly in which he was trespassing without the owner’s consent.

Mulligan did confirm this morning that Detective Harrigan and Brantley were able to interview Roberts last night; however, the results of that interview cannot yet be discussed. Mulligan did confirm that the intelligence gathered by the detectives was being used to reconstruct Roberts’ whereabouts and activities from the time he was known to have left St. Johns County.

Roberts was known, according to Mulligan, to float from one transient living situation to another, including the one of most recent interest — the home of 45-year old Brittany Jeniveve Tavar in South Ponte Vedra Beach.

Photo credits: © 2010 Historic City News staff photographer and King County Sheriff’s Office contributed photograph