Robot Finds Fugitive Sex Offender With Help From Facebook
WAUKEGAN, IL — A wanted Lake County man was apprehended in Ohio Thursday with the help of federal agents and a robot. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the arrest was made possible with the help of tips from the community after sharing a flyer featuring the fugitive to social media as part of its practice of “Wanted Wednesday” posts.
Keanu C. Gibson, 23, of the 1600 block of Barnhart Court, Zion, pleaded guilty this summer to one count of violation of requirements of the sex offender registry. Gibson was obliged to register due to a 2017 conviction for burglary and criminal sexual abuse of a middle school student who he had met on a social media application. At the time of his arrest in 2016, the sheriff’s office said the then 20-year had snuck into the girl’s Beach Park home on multiple occasional to engage in sex acts.
At his August 2018 sentencing, Gibson was ordered to serve 10 months of periodic imprisonment. The terms allowed him to have a job but required him to return to a correctional facility immediately after work and remain during overnight hours, according to the sheriff’s office.
But on Oct. 19, Gibson cut off his electronic monitoring device after work and did not return to the community based correctional center, the sheriff’s office said.
Two warrants were issued for his arrest on Nov. 11, totaling $2 million in bond, on charges of escape and failure to appear in court.
The sheriff’s office posted Gibson’s wanted poster on Dec. 5 to its Facebook page, where it was shared more than 1,000 times.
A week later, the office’s warrants team got a tip that Gibson had fled out of state to avoid arrest. With the help of the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, the warrants team got information that he was staying at a home in Dayton, Ohio.
As members of the marshals’ Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team approached the home in 2000 block of Pallisades Drive, they heard movement in an upstairs bedroom.
In response, they deployed a robot with the ability to stream live video to check the room, where they found Gibson hiding in an upstairs closet.
Gibson was taken to Montgomery County Jail and held pending extradition hearings, according to the sheriff’s office.
Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said his office was grateful for the participation of the public in the “Wanted Wednesdays” program.
“Because of the community’s engagement and tips, we’ve apprehended several fugitives,” Idleburg said. “This is another example of community partnerships helping to keep our neighborhoods safe.”