Martinsburg, WV - Members of the U.S. Marshals-led Mountain State Fugitive Task Force returned from Australia on March 29, 2019 with a Hedgesville man to face child pornography charges here.
On Sept. 26, 2013, the West Virginia State Police asked the USMS to assist in locating Kevin Burrows, who was wanted on charges of child pornography. While Marshals were attempting to locate Burrows on state charges the state police investigation revealed enough criminal activity for Burrows to be indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia on the charge of possession of child pornography.
During the criminal investigation a state police sergeant spoke with Burrows by phone, and Burrows agreed to meet the sergeant at the Martinsburg detachment with his attorney to discuss the charges in the investigation. However, Burrows failed to show up, and his attorney told the sergeant he had no idea where Burrows was.
The USMS investigation revealed Burrows -- a dual citizen of Australia and the United States -- had fled the U.S., entered Canada and then flown to Australia.
The USMS international fugitive division was able to confirm Burrows was in Australia. The USMS and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia worked with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. State Department to seek Burrows’ extradition from Australia. Throughout the process information on Burrows continued to come in as Australian citizens who had seen wanted posters of Burrows on the internet contacted the USMS and provided updated location information.
On Nov. 6, 2017, Australian Federal Police arrested Burrows in Australia. An Australian court found him extraditable and the Australian Attorney-General ordered his surrender to the U.S. on March 4, 2019.
“This case is a great example of what federal and state law enforcement agencies can accomplish when they work together," said J.C. Raffety, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of West Virginia. “Individuals who flee the United States thinking they can avoid being held accountable for their crimes should know that we will not stop looking for you, and we will work with our international partners in law enforcement to ensure that you are held accountable."
“Mr. Burrows now knows the arm of justice, extended by the extraordinary professionals at the U.S. Marshals Service, is more than ten thousand miles long. We look forward to seeing Mr. Burrows back in our jurisdiction to answer the pending charges," said U.S. Attorney Bill Powell, the Northern District of West Virginia.
The USMS has a long history of providing assistance and expertise to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in support of their fugitive investigations. These task forces, staffed by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, target the most dangerous fugitives.
