Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Cooperative Effort Leads to Escapee’s Capture



April 1, 2015

On March 29, 2015 the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office issued an escaped inmate alert to surrounding law enforcement agencies. Billy Blaine Santerfeit (1-3-86); a sentenced inmate from Putnam County serving a 1 year 11 month sentence at the Bridges of Sante Fe in Alachua County, had cut is monitoring device and fled from the facility. Santerfeit was being held on charges of uttering forged instruments, a felony. A warrant had been issued charging Santerfeit with escape.

On March 31, 2015 at approximately 4:30 PM the LCSO received information that Santerfeit was in the Bronson area. Deputies from the Criminal Investigative Division and Uniformed Patrol Division responded to the location off of US Alt 27 the tipster gave. Deputies had just missed Santerfeit but were able to develop information on where he was going.

The investigation led LCSO investigators and members of the United States Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force to Citrus County. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office was contacted and in a combined effort, Santerfeit was taken into custody by CCSO deputies at approximately 8:40 pm in the Beverly Hills area of their county. Santerfeit was transported to their detention facility and is awaiting transport back to Alachua County where he will answer to his new escape charge.

Although Santerfeit was not classified as a violent escaped prisoner, he was still dangerous to our communities. It is unclear what drove Santerfeit to this act of desperation, but our neighborhoods are now safer. Combined common goal efforts between law enforcement agencies are always occurring to safeguard our streets and citizens. This apprehension is just a small example of the work we do.   
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Lt. Scott Tummond
Criminal Investigations Division
Levy County Sheriff's Office
(352) 486-5111
"Know Something We Don't" Call Crime Stoppers 1-877-349-8477 remain anonymous.