VERMILION, Ohio — Editor's Note: The above video is from a previously published story
The Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force arrested 39-year-old James Thompson for various crimes that he was wanted for in Lorain and Erie Counties.
On May 10, 2021, Vermilion police stopped Thompson in his vehicle. They had initially been looking for him in connection with a custody case but were called to the area for a report of a suspicious vehicle.
When officers made contact with Thompson at the traffic stop, they asked him for his driver's license. Thompson told police that he did not need a driver's license because he was a sovereign soul and Jesus Christ told him he didn't need a license.
Thompson took off on officers in his truck. He eventually crashed into a ditch and led officers in a foot chase onto the Vermilion Country Club golf course.
Police were not able to find Thompson, but did recover an AK-47, a bullet proof vest, knives, and survival gear in his truck.
Members of the fugitive task force worked with Vermilion police, Erie County Sheriff's deputies and the Lorain County Sheriff's Office over the past week to try to find Thompson. He was wanted for fleeing from police, weapons under disability, and possession of dangerous ordinances.
Early Wednesday morning, members of the task force found Thompson in a vehicle in the Mill Hollow Vermilion River Reservation. He was arrested peacefully.
“This fugitive posed an incredible danger to not only law enforcement when he fled but also to the community. A great partnership with the Sheriff’s Offices and Vermilion Police brought this case to a quick end with the suspect being arrested without any more danger to the community," said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliot in a statement.
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Editor's Note: The below video is from a previously published story