Accused of murder, Arthur Spencer made it from Lake County, Fla., to his mother's Dickson City home before U.S. marshals caught up with him Tuesday.
Local police departments and U.S. marshals took Mr. Spencer into custody at 913 W. Lackawanna Ave. about 4 p.m. He is awaiting extradition back to Florida and is charged with being a fugitive from justice in Pennsylvania.
At midnight on May 22, 2012, Mr. Spencer, 20, met with four others at his home to plot a home invasion, according to police. They chose Corey Wiggins' Clermont, Fla., house.
A half hour later, they were seen on Wal-Mart security footage purchasing items they would need for the invasion, then changing into darker clothing.
Keith Dugan, one of the burglars, scouted the home then parked his car facing Highway 27.
The five knocked on Mr. Wiggins' front door and shoved a rifle in his face. Mr. Wiggins quickly shut the door, but it did not protect him when Mr. Spencer said, "shoot" and 20 rounds were fired from a .40 caliber rifle and semi-automatic pistol, according to the affidavit. Mr. Wiggins was already dead when EMS personnel arrived at 1:55 a.m.
On May 24, an arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Spencer, charging him with second-degree murder.
Authorities suspected Mr. Spencer could be hiding in Lackawanna County so the marshals in Florida contacted marshals in the Middle District of Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force for assistance. Mr. Spencer was arrested without incident.
"The U.S. Marshals Service's top priority is to arrest violent crime fugitives, especially those who have no regard for human life," U.S. Marshal Martin J. Pane said in a press release. "This arrest takes a murder suspect off the street."
Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter