US Marshals arrest Akron, Ohio’s Shawn Brooks in New Orleans, Louisiana

Shawn Brooks, 37, of Akron, Summit County, Ohio, United States has been arrested. He was a fugitive for 12 years.

Akron is the county seat of Summit County. The city is around 1,190 miles away from Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida, USA.

Shawn Brooks

In 2013, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office issue a warrant for the arrest of Brooks. He was charged with 15 counts of sexually related offenses involving minors.

Since 2013, Brooks had been on the run from law enforcement. While on the run, he used stolen identities.

In 2015, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office issued warrants for Brooks’ arrest. He was charged with 11 counts including pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, importuning and disseminating material harmful to a juvenile.

Members of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) of the U.S. Marshals Service started investigating Brooks’ location. Investigators learned that he was hiding with his girlfriend in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA.

On September 5, 2025, U.S. Marshals found Brooks in a residence in the 800 block of 3rd St. in New Orleans. When they tried to arrest him, he barricaded himself in the residence.

In an attempt to evade arrest, Brooks crawled into a neighbor’s attic. He was eventually arrested and booked into the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office in New Orleans. 

“Our teams will never stop looking for violent fugitives, no matter how long they are on the run,” U.S. Marshal Peter J. “Pete” Elliott stated after Brooks’ arrest. ” Anyone who hurts a child will be at the top of our list.”

NOVFTF

On June 25, 2000, Wayne A. Leon was fatally shot on East 40th Street in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio by Quisi Bryan, then 29. The victim, who was a Cleveland Division of Police officer, was 32.

In March 2003, Elliott was appointed as U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio by 43rd U.S. president George W. Bush. In June 2003, the NOVFTF was created in memory of Leon.

Bryan was supposed to be executed on January 7, 2026. On June 20, 2025, 70th Ohio governor Mike Dewine moved the execution date to November 15, 2028.