COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The efforts of local and federal law enforcement agencies that took place over a three-day period last week resulted in the arrests of three suspects.
While those wanted in the unrelated crimes are in custody, the resources to find them will be used to find other suspects with outstanding warrants.
Last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, local law enforcement took three suspects – Erich Barbee, Michael Dickerson, and Malike Miller – off the streets of Columbus. All three have been charged with murder.
“Our detectives are working extremely hard to bring some closure for these families and hold these people accountable,” said Columbus Division of Police Cmd. Mark Denner.
He said utilizing all resources available to investigators, like in these three cases, can make a difference when finding suspects.
“It started with the investigators, investigating it by our investigators, reaching out to other detectives and our SWAT officers and our federal partners, all working together to try to locate these individuals, arrest them, and bring them to the next stage of the investigation process,” Denner said.
Michael Black is a U.S. Marshal in the Southern District of Ohio.
“We work the most violent cases – murder, robberies, weapons violations, drug violations, and our goal is to take these violent offenders out of the communities,” Black said.
Black was nominated by President Joe Biden, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and appointed to the position in January. He said his office has a number of resources it can share with local agencies.
“Mainly our Fugitive Task Force, which we assist agencies within the Southern District of Ohio apprehending violent felons, violent criminals that have warrants for their arrests,” he said.
Like Barbee, Dickerson, and Miller, all suspects in different murders and all taken into custody last week.
“Every time we’re able to apprehend one of these violent offenders, they’re not able to commit violent crimes back in the community again,” Black said.
Denner said the work of the two agencies should send a message to people who call Columbus home.
“I would hope they feel a little bit of sense of relief that they know, number one, somebody is being held accountable, and number two, that maybe their street is a little safer,” Denner said.
Many central Ohio law enforcement agencies, like Columbus police, have officers assigned to the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force. Doing so helps investigators gain access to federal resources so they can find and arrest suspects. A missing children’s unit can access similar resources.
