FBI Most Wanted fugitive had 'pattern of traveling to Florida,' agents say

The Lady Lake Police Department announced the arrest of Donald Eugene Fields II, one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, following a routine traffic stop on Saturday morning.

‘He had a pattern of traveling to Florida’

Criminal History:

Fields, 60, was apprehended by Sgt. Michelle Bilbrey at approximately 9:15 a.m. at the intersection of U.S. Highway 27/441 and Rolling Acres Road. The arrest came after Sgt. Bilbrey noticed the vehicle’s license plate was not registered with the car Fields was driving.

Fields is wanted on federal charges of child sex trafficking and state charges of child rape. 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Suspect on FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list arrested in Lake County for child sex trafficking, rape charges

He had been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in May 2023 after evading authorities since March 2022, when he failed to appear for a court hearing in Franklin County, Missouri.

Donald Eugene Fields II, 60, was federally indicted in St. Louis on Dec. 7, 2023, on one count of child sex trafficking. The indictment alleges that Fields attempted to recruit, entice, provide, patronize, and solicit a minor to engage in commercial sex acts between January 2013 and June 2017.

In addition to federal charges, Fields faces multiple charges in Missouri, including statutory rape, statutory sodomy, child molestation and witness tampering in Franklin County Circuit Court.

A warrant for his arrest was issued in March 2022 after he vacated his home and failed to appear for a scheduled hearing, according to court records.

What they're saying:

On Monday, the Lady Lake Police Department, alongside the FBI, held a press conference in regard to the capture of Fields.

"We knew that he had a pattern of traveling to Florida because he used to own a property in the Tampa area. So we put that information out to the public as well as our law enforcement partners," said Greg Federico, FBI supervisory senior resident agent. "We now know that since that time, Mr. Fields made changes to his physical appearance, and that was one of the ways he was able to evade detection and avoid accountability until his capture this weekend."

When asked about the arrest, Lady Lake Police Chief Steve Hunt said he was taken by surprise.

"I was pretty surprised at first, to be honest. That's not something that you come across every day. So it was a little eye-opening to me that we have people like that riding around all over on our streets, especially here in Lady Lake," explained Steve Hunt, Lady Lake Police Chief. 

Fields is set to make his first appearance in federal court in Florida.

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The Source: The information in this article comes from the Lady Lake Police Department and the FBI.

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