113 Charleston-area fugitives arrested in joint US Marshal operation

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)—U.S. Marshals recently completed an operation in partnership with local law enforcement that arrested over 100 individuals wanted for violent crimes in the Charleston area.

Operation North Star FY 2024 targeted those wanted “for the most egregious offenses,” which included homicide, forcible sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault with a firearm.

North Star was operational for 74 days from May 10 to Sept. 13 and ran in 10 metropolitan areas, including Charleston, North Charleston, Dallas, Texas, Little Rock, Arkansas, Phoenix, Arizona, Birmingham, Alabama, and more.

Of the 113 arrested in the Charleston area, nine were for homicide, 11 for forcible sexual assault, 8 for robbery, 21 for aggravated assault, and 35 were for firearm violations, according to a release from John F. Hale, an assistant chief inspector for the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force.

During the investigations, 17 handguns, five rifles, two shotguns, two vehicles, and a little over 2 kilograms of illegal narcotics were seized.
One fugitive arrested was Altonion Prioleau, who was wanted for two counts of murder, attempted murder, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to Hale.

Prioleau fled the area after he committed the crimes, Hale said and was located by the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force. During his arrest, Marshals confiscated two weapons.

“The combined efforts of the Deputy U.S. Marshals and our Carolina Regional Fugitive Taskforce, alongside Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Charleston Police Department, North Charleston Police Department, Summerville Police Department, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) resulted in the removal of some of the most violent offenders in our area. Our deputies and task force officers live and work in these communities alongside all of you, and we desire a safe community, just as you all do,” said District of South Carolina Marshal Chrissie Latimore. “We want to ensure all communities across the State of South Carolina are safe, and in doing so, we will continue to leverage partnerships, work collaboratively with our local, state, and federal partners, combine our resources, and share information.”