Felony Fugitives
You may have heard me mention that Michiana Crime Stoppers is a donor-funded program that serves 12 counties in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan.
Each of those counties maintains a database of people charged with felony offenses that are wanted by law enforcement and the courts. It's safe to say that many of them are actively attempting to avoid capture. It's also safe to say that many of them are continuing to commit crimes while they are on the run.
There is a scary number of fugitives that are wanted for child molestation, an offense that has a very high recidivism rate. In other words, there is a huge risk that other kids are being molested. For instance, Terry Waugh has been avoiding capture for several years for charges of child molestation and is being sought by area police and U.S. Marshals.
Tips to Crime Stoppers play a huge part in assisting to locate these individuals. In fact, these tips are so valuable that Crime Stoppers has doubled the standard reward of $100 to $200, cash which can sometimes be claimed within an hour of the arrest.
(While we value fugitive tips which help locate felony offenders, usually higher reward amounts are paid for tips that actually identify suspects in unsolved cases.)
Photos of many area fugitives can be found on our website, and on most county law enforcement websites. Unfortunately, those posted only represent a small portion of people wanted on warrants throughout Michiana. We'll pay cash rewards for tips leading to any felony arrest, whether we feature the case or fugitive, or not!