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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