MANSFELD — An Ontario man charged with the murder of a Mansfield teenager was arrested Tuesday morning, according to police Chief Keith Porch.
Montels D. Holland Jr., 31, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 11:20 a.m. in an apartment at 3725 Kimberly West Drive in Columbus, according to Porch.
Porch told Richland Source he didn’t know how Holland was located.
“I know they were shaking the bushes,” he said.
A warrant charging Holland with murder was issued for the shooting death of Nayshawn Lovett, 16, on Jan. 3 at the Quality Inn at 500 N. Trimble Road.
Holland was taken into custody without incident Tuesday, according to Porch.
“We are hopeful that this arrest will not only allow the victim’s family some relief, but also help alleviate any additional community fears. We ask that you respect the victim’s family’s privacy at this time,” the chief said.
“I am just glad the arrest was made peacefully,” Porch said. “I had concerns that there could be a further escalation (during an arrest).”
On Jan. 3, Mansfield officers responded at 10:45 a.m. after a hotel employee working the front desk said she heard several gunshots.
Police found Lovett, an East Cook Road resident, dead in a hallway on the ground floor of the hotel at the corner of Trimble Road and McPherson Street.
He sustained multiple gunshot wounds, according to Bob Ball, the chief investigator for the Richland County Coroner’s Office. The victim’s body was taken to Montgomery County for autopsy, Ball said.
During the investigation, police identified Holland as the suspect and the arrest warrant was issued that day.
On Jan. 3 at at 9:07 p.m., Mansfield detectives, Ontario police and the county’s ASORT team executed a search warrant at Holland’s residence, 1054 Crestfield St. Apt. 18. The suspect was not located.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call Det. Terry Butler at 419-755-9791.
