The Federal Bureau of Investigation has lauded Lady Lake police officers and a dispatcher for apprehending one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.
FBI officials traveled Tuesday to Lady Lake Town Hall for a ceremony honoring Sgt. Michelle Bilbrey, Officer Andru Eckerdt and Lake County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher Brooke Scott, who were key in the capture this past January of Donald Eugene Fields II, who is facing numerous charges in Missouri, including child molestation.
Lady Lake Police Chief Steven Hunt was beaming with pride during a press conference in which the FBI heaped praise on his officers.
“This recognition from the FBI is a tremendous honor, and I want to sincerely thank them — not only for this acknowledgment, but for their continued partnership and support in pursuing justice,” Chief Hunt said. “But let’s be clear—the real story here is about teamwork, dedication, and doing the job the right way. We didn’t make this arrest to be in the spotlight. We did it because it was our duty—our responsibility—to protect this community.”
Hunt also paid tribute to the officers who were not in the spotlight at the event.
“To the members of the Lady Lake Police Department: you are the heart of this town. You work long hours. You make sacrifices. And you do it with professionalism and integrity. This recognition belongs to all of you,” he said.
On the day of the arrest, Sgt. Bilbrey discovered that the license plate of the vehicle Fields was driving was not properly registered.
The traffic stop was critical to the arrest of the fugitive.
Greg Federico, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI Jacksonville Office, highlighted the importance of the traffic stop that led to Fields’ arrest.
“The FBI St. Louis Division and our partners had been unable to track Fields down,” Federico said. “So he was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.”
That list is a “critical tool” in bringing fugitives to justice, he added.