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Police nab fugitive in Tyler County

By Staff | Mar 11, 2009

Terry Eugene Winter

Thanks to some keen investigative skills and a few tips, law enforcement officers were able to apprehend a fugitive from justice in Tyler County on March 8.

Terry Eugene Winter, 43, of 2130 Oil Ridge Road, Sistersville, was picked up on a capias warrant after eluding police for two years.

In June of 2006, Winter was indicted on three felony counts of sexual abuse by a parent in Tyler County. However, he was summoned on a bond revocation on March 15, 2007, and a capias was issued for his arrest after he was found to have had non-sexual contact with a minor child. But Winter failed to appear for his April and June court dates, and a second capias was issued for additional charges.

Winter was indicted on two felony counts of failure to appear in October 2007.

Considered a felony fugitive, Winter was entered into a nationwide database in hopes of catching up with him.

Winter appeared in court Monday morning after being on the run for two years. He was apprehended in Sistersville.

For more than two years after his alleged crimes, Winter had been a fugitive on the run but his time ran out when Cpl. Shannon Huffman spotted him working in his back yard. “We’ve had several leads on him over the past few years and I periodically patrol that area. On that particular day I observed him working behind his residence on Oil Ridge Road and called for backup,” stated Huffman.

Sgt. Dean Pratt, Sheriff Bob Kendle, Deputy J.K. Maston and Cpl. Joseph Richardson assisted Huffman on the scene, as the group converged on the residence in an effort to remove Winter. But Winter would not go without a fight.

“He attempted to flee and was help up in a house adjacent to his residence,” Huffman explained.

Winter was apprehended in the attic of the house and was taken into custody at gunpoint. “He did not go voluntarily,” said Huffman.

In Circuit Court on Monday morning, Prosecuting Attorney Luke Furbee urged the court to consider Winter’s past actions when setting his bond. “We believe he is a flight risk and we ask the court to set bond in the amount of $250,000 cash,” he said. The request was granted.

Winter will appear back in court April 2 at 10 a.m. and will be represented by John Gainer.

In the meantime, he will be held in the North Central Regional Jail.