Photo by US Marshal Service Devin Leonard, 23, of Buffalo, NY, formerly of Nashua; charged in Litchfield assault

LITCHFIELD – The man wanted by Litchfield police since early April in connection with what officials are calling “a serious assault” has been captured by federal authorities, and is expected to be returned to New Hampshire in the near future.

Devin Leonard, 23, is from Buffalo, according to Jeffrey White, deputy U.S. Marshal for New Hampshire, but it’s not clear if he had been staying in Litchfield, or the area, in the time leading up the alleged assault.

The alleged incident took place “on or about” April 2 in Litchfield, White said in the statement, which didn’t list the location.

After investigating, Litchfield authorities issued a warrant for his arrest, and soon determined he had allegedly fled town following the alleged incident.

Earlier this month, they contacted the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force for assistance in locating and apprehending Leonard, White said.

The charges on which he was wanted – and on which he was booked following his arrest on Friday – include one count each of second-degree assault – strangulation, sexual assault, simple assault, and false imprisonment, according to the statement.

The statement didn’t provide any further details about the alleged incident, such as whether Leonard knows the alleged victim, or victims, and if so, the nature of their relationship.

There were no references in the statement to any injuries sustained in connection with the alleged assault.

Since at least one of the charges – second-degree assault – is a felony, Leonard will likely be arraigned on the charges in Hillsborough County Superior Court South once he is returned to New Hampshire.

In the meantime, Leonard is being held on a fugitive from justice charge at the Erie County Holding Center, located on a large campus of numerous law-enforcement and correctional facilities just outside of Buffalo and adjacent to the New York-Ontario border.

He will be arraigned on that charge in a New York court, presumably sometime this week.

Provided he waives extradition, Leonard will then be transported to Valley Street jail in Manchester to await his arraignment and bail hearing on the Litchfield charges.

It was early Friday morning, White said in the statement, that members of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force took Leonard into custody “without incident.”

The team of law enforcement personnel that located and apprehended Leonard included representatives from several agencies, including police from Buffalo and neighboring Niagara Falls, New York; New York state police and state parole officers; Niagara County sheriffs; and deputy U.S. Marshals.

White said the team traced Leonard to a residence “in the 100 block of Garfield Street,” which is off of Tonawanda Street in the northern part of Buffalo a couple of blocks from I-190 and the Niagara River.

According to White, the apprehension of Leonard is one of nearly 8,000 arrests as of December that were made possible by the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force’s partnerships with local and regional law enforcement agencies.

The charges stemming from those arrests “have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses,” White said.

Nationally, the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces and eight regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries,” he added.

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Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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