MANSFIELD — The more than three-month search for federal fugitive Shawn Christy, 26, of McAdoo, Pennsylvania, ended in Mansfield after a costly five-day manhunt which included local and federal law enforcement working together.
The total expense was nearly $40,000, according to figures provided by local authorities.
According to Major Joe Masi of the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, 10 to 12 deputies were used at all times during the search, and 39 total deputies that would have worked regular schedules during the manhunt.
A federal warrant was issued June 19 for Christy in relation to Facebook threats to the Northampton County district attorney, stating, “Keep it up Morganelli, I promise I’ll put a bullet in your head as soon as I put one in the head of President Donald J. Trump.” Christy threatened to use “full lethal force on any law enforcement officer that tries to detain me.”
The RCSO man-hunt efforts used approximately 1,320 man hours, $5,000 in gasoline and $9,595.01 in overtime earned, Masi said.
“We received $4,000 from the US Marshals to reimburse Task Force Officers, who are deputies on the task force, for overtime which can be deducted from the overtime costs listed above.”
Christy was on the run since June 20, leading law enforcement on a chase through New York, Canada, West Virginia, Maryland, back into Pennsylvania and then crashing his car just off I-71 south of Mansfield on Sunday, Sept. 17. He was captured five days later in Mifflin Township.
“I felt that the deputies who worked assignments as directed by the Command Post did their jobs extremely well,” Masi said. “Captain Donald Zehner was assigned the Command Post with other state and federal agencies for four of the five days and Captain James Sweat was assigned the Command Post on Friday.
“They all performed very well, and all agencies worked very well together. We are fortunate to have such a great working relationship with our local law enforcement as well as state and federal agencies. Job well done by all.”
Four officers from the Mansfield Police Department were used in the manhunt, Chief Ken Coontz said. Coontz estimated MPD spent $25,000 in overtime and compensatory time for multiple officers.
“That does not include trying to estimate the manpower of officers that were already working the shift that were sent down there,” the chief added. “It was extremely expensive for us.”
Coontz said credit is deserved to all law enforcement in the area.
“Our ability as a group to apprehend Mr. Christy was a direct result of the strong collaboration between law enforcement community that we have in this area,” he said. “Many areas do not have the relationships that Richland County shares with its community and with its other law enforcement partners at the local and state levels.
“We can basically pick up a cell phone and call one of our partners from the FBI, the Marshals, the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. It’s that strong of a relationship that we are able to call or text each other and the community curtly benefits from all of agencies working closely together — as evident by what we’ve seen in this case.”
The US Marshals did not return several voice messages left with their spokesperson.
Since his capture, Christy was sent to Pennsylvania on Oct. 1, after the warrant was signed, according to Mike Tobin, spokesman for the the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The case has been transferred to Pennsylvania, Tobin said and his office’s involvement in the case is finished.
Christy faces four counts, all related to threats allegedly made while in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Christy remains in custody after his detention hearing was waived, according to Tobin.
