UPDATE: A man who eluded capture for 13 years is finally in custody. Anthony Lennon, who was on Oklahoma’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List, was apprehended outside a grocery store in Canton, New York after a relentless pursuit by law enforcement.
Lennon, originally convicted in 2008 for possession of child pornography, was sentenced to probation. However, he later violated that probation by accessing a computer, leading to further investigations. The Moore Police Department confirmed that in March 2012, additional child pornography was discovered on Lennon’s devices, resulting in eight felony charges against him.
Authorities believe Lennon staged his own robbery and kidnapping from a Super 8 Motel in Moore to avoid arrest. “We never believed that Mr. Lennon was deceased. We believed he was trying to evade capture,” said Cleveland County District Attorney Jennifer Austin. For over a decade, investigators followed his trail across the country, eventually locating him in New York.
U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Oklahoma, Johnny Kuhlman, stated, “Some of our local Deputy U.S. Marshals, along with the detective from the Moore Police Department, traveled to New York to continue this investigation.” The pursuit culminated in Lennon’s arrest, where he was a student at a local university.
Lennon now faces a federal charge for failing to register as a sex offender in addition to the eight counts of possession of child pornography. Austin indicated that further charges could arise as the investigation continues. “We will have to work together with our partners in the federal system to determine basically who gets to go first,” she explained.
Currently, Lennon is held in custody in New York, awaiting a judge’s decision on whether he will be extradited back to Oklahoma. This high-profile capture marks a significant victory for law enforcement, who have worked tirelessly to bring Lennon to justice after over a decade of evasion.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story as authorities continue to gather information and pursue additional charges.
