Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office,Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Marshal’s Service, capture Zephyr Malik Carter.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office working in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Marshal’s Service announce the capture of Zephyr Malik Carter. Carter had been wanted for escaping Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office custody on July 28, 2014. Carter was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 16, 2014.
Carter was arrested April 5, 2014, by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Property Crimes Detectives for ID theft, credit card fraud, and forgery related charges. Carter and five other individuals were alleged to have been part of an identity theft and counterfeit credit card manufacturing operation. After Carter’s initial arrest, he posted bail and was released from custody. Carter failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest. In May of 2014, Carter was captured in the Oakland area by the San Francisco Office of the FBI and the U.S. Marshal’s Service Fugitive Task Force Team. At the time of Carter’s arrest, he was found in possession of 57 counterfeit credit cards.
On June 9, of 2014, Carter was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, but ordered to serve the time locally at the Sonoma County Jail. On July 28, 2014, Carter escaped from custody. At the time of Carter’s escape, he was assigned to a work crew, which was working outside the North County Detention Facility.
The FBI, U.S. Marshal’s Service, along with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office began searching for Carter immediately after his escape. Carter was initially tracked to San Francisco, but Carter’s exact whereabouts were unknown. Carter’s picture was posted on the Northern California’s Most Wanted website. A tip came in about Carter being sited at a hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a result of this tip, the Las Vegas based law enforcement Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT’s) was called in to search for Carter. After a substantial investigation in the Las Vegas area; Carter was found on the evening of September 16, 2014, at a motel just off the Las Vegas Strip. Carter was taken into custody without incident.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office will seek to extradite Carter back to Sonoma County to face new charges related to his escape.
Press release prepared by Sgt. Michael Raasch
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office
Property Crime Investigation Unit
(707) 565-2838
Case #140728-004
Address/Location
Sonoma County Sheriff's Office
2796 Ventura Ave
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 707-565-2650