Fugitive caught updating MySpace

The Philadelphia inquirer ^ | 12/12/2006 | Mitch Lipka

[grjr21]

The man in the Donovan McNabb jersey got to the Philadelphia Free Library's main branch at 9 a.m., as usual, and was seated at a public computer terminal, tapping away at his MySpace.com page, as usual.

So he did not notice that 15 armed officers were quietly converging on him.

That, authorities say, is how a fugitive wanted in Georgia and Massachusetts was captured last Thursday without a fight. They say they figured out that he had been going to the library regularly to update his MySpace page.

Darren Bates, 35, was using one of the library's computers about 9:15 a.m. Thursday when 15 plainclothes members of a fugitive task force converged on him as other patrons tapped away on nearby keyboards, officials said yesterday.

"He was busy on the computer and we were able to walk right up to him from several directions without him seeing us," said John Patrignani, supervisory deputy of the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force. "He was very much surprised."

Bates, who was wearing a McNabb jersey, was taken into custody without incident, Patrignani said. He was being held yesterday in a city jail cell pending extradition to Georgia.

Patrignani said task force members in Massachusetts had determined Bates was going to the Central Library at 1901 Vine St. about the same time every day - when the library opened at 9.

He said marshals found Bates the first day they went to see if he was there visiting MySpace, a popular site for social networking.

MySpace officials could not immediately be reached for comment, and a spokeswoman for the library said she did not know what role the institution may have played in the arrest.

Various law enforcement officials said yesterday they either did not know or could not say how they had tracked Bates to the MySpace site or to the library.

Patrignani and a Georgia officer involved in pursuing Bates said they did not know what was on Bates' MySpace page. Marshals said he went by the name Anthony Watson on the site.

Bates was being sought by police in two parts of rural Georgia. He is accused there of escaping from jail on an auto-theft charge in Hancock County and then going to nearby Baldwin County, where he allegedly broke into the home of an 88-year-old woman, beat her, and stole her car.

Bates already was being sought by police in New Bedford, Mass., for an alleged sexual assault.

"How he ended up in rural Hancock County, Georgia, I don't know," said Capt. Chris Spires of the Baldwin County, Ga., Sheriff's Department.

Baldwin County was particularly eager to catch up with Bates, who was the chief suspect in the home invasion and beating of the elderly woman.

In August, her stolen car turned up in Philadelphia. Authorities found Bates' fingerprints on it, and slowly began to close in.

[LexBaird]

Or even worse, a live cow might be thrown upon him, upsetting his entire morning.

Especially if he was in a giant wooden rabbit.

[JimRed]

Lefty lawyers come in whining about how the poor felon was spied upon, and the danger to the rest of us, in 5...4...3...2...1

[Wil H]

Any 35 y/o man wearing a football jersey of a pro player, should be arrested on the spot, on principle alone.

I guess the police just McNabb'ed him....