A man suspected of assaulting a sheriff’s deputy and escaping custody in Maryland was captured late last night in Chesterfield County.
Devin Champagne was found about 10:30 p.m. hiding in a cubby under a stairwell in the basement of a house in the 3200 block of Mill Race Road, said Kevin Connolly, supervisory inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service task force in Richmond.
Howard County, Md., Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Verderaime said Champagne, 20, of Jessup, Md., had just been convicted of felony theft on Aug. 13 when he attacked the deputy driving him to the detention center. Officials say Champagne used his handcuffs to choke and hit the deputy and tried to take his gun before climbing out a window.
Connolly said authorities arrested one of Champagne’s associates in Maryland yesterday and developed information that Champagne was in the Richmond area.
Connolly led a team of six law-enforcement officers, backed up by five Chesterfield County police officers, who stormed the house just east of Meadowbrook Country Club last night and found Champagne.
“We’re just glad to catch him,” Connolly said this morning. “The cooperation between the people in the task force was incredible — kind of a flawless thing. That’s why we have these.”
Connolly said he went to the house accompanied five other members of the task force: another federal marshal, a Richmond police detective, two Chesterfield officers and an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
After placing the house under surveillance, the members of the task force determined that Champagne was likely inside, so they called for backup from five additional Chesterfield officers.
Connolly said the task force members went into the house and found a man who appeared to be Champagne but turned out to be his brother. They also found a woman and three children.
Connolly said Champagne’s brother and the woman initially led the task force members to believe they had captured their man, but their stories didn’t seem to make sense.
“It’s safe to say there was some untruthfulness going on,” Connolly said.
The woman and Champagne’s brother consented to a search of the house, and the officers found Champagne under a basement staircase, where a sheet of plywood had been placed over the opening of the cubby where he was hiding, Connolly said.
Champagne surrendered without incident, Connolly said.
“We just got all this information about this guy last night, and we were able to get him the same night,” Connolly said. “That says a lot about how cooperation can lead to success with this task force.”
Champagne was taken before a Chesterfield County magistrate and charged as a fugitive.
Connolly said Maryland authorities wanted Champagne on charges of attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree escape, second-degree escape, first-degree assault and second-degree assault.
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