U.S. Marshals capture fugitive using trap door to hide under floor

DENMARK, Tenn. — We met with U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller who shared information with us about the arrest and capture of a wanted man.

According to the U.S. Marshal’s Service, in September of 2016, Billy Lee Walton Jr. was convicted of attempted rape. His sentence was suspended and Walton Jr. was placed on 12 years of probation.

In June of this year, the Tennessee Highway Patrol charged him with reckless driving, an open container, driving under the influence, driving on a revoked license, and manufacturing, delivering, selling, and possession of a controlled substance.

“And so once his probation was violated, the u-s marshals service was asked to go out and find him, and so we had been doing our intelligence on him and we determined a location where he would be,” said Miller.

That location would be his residence at a trailer park in Denmark, Tennessee. Monday, marshals would go to this residence to capture Walton Jr.

“We noticed the floor didn’t look quite right, and once we removed the rug, we noticed there was a trap door there and we went inside the trap door. We identified ourselves, had our weapons drawn, and called him out and at that time he surrendered,” said Miller.

Miller described this hiding location as a small hole that was dug into the earth underneath the floor. Inside this hole, Walton Jr. had a shovel, flashlight, and provisions for a short stay.

“It was our belief that he probably thought that we were going to miss that spot,” said Miller.

Walton Jr. is being held at the Madison County Jail pending a probation violation hearing.

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