YOUNGSTOWN Task force members arrest La. fugitive wanted in slaying

The U.S. marshal in Cleveland says he's 'very proud of our guys out there.'
YOUNGSTOWN -- Ronnie Rollins, wanted on a murder charge in New Orleans, was captured this morning at his girlfriend's apartment on the East Side.
Rollins was taken into custody at 104 Gluck St. by U.S. marshals, Mahoning County deputy sheriffs and agents with the Adult Parole Authority, said Timothy A. Hornung, deputy U.S. marshal. The officers who made the arrest are members of the Gun Reduction Interdiction Project task force.
Rollins, 23, of Louisiana, is accused in the shooting death of Gerard Joseph, who was found dead in his car April 26 in New Orleans.
Hornung said a witness was found, shown a photo lineup and picked Rollins as the shooter.
The witness told police that Rollins shot the victim over an argument in a dice game the two were playing, Hornung said.
U.S. marshals with the Crescent Star Fugitive Task Force in New Orleans contacted the marshals' GRIP team here, advising that he might be in the Campbell-Youngstown area, Hornung said. Rollins drove to Youngstown with his girlfriend, who is originally from Campbell, the marshal said.
Extradition hearing to come
With the assistance of the local Drug Enforcement Administration, Rollins was located at the Gluck Street apartment about 7 a.m. today. He did not resist arrest.
Rollins is being held in the Mahoning County jail pending an extradition hearing in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
"I'm very proud of the work our guys are doing out there," U.S Marshal Peter J. Elliott said today from his Cleveland office. "In a month, they arrested more than 115 people," he said of the GRIP team.
Last month, the city kicked off the federally sponsored GRIP. Local, state and federal law enforcement have been working together to curb the violence by getting guns off the streets and targeting felons for federal prosecution.
meade@vindy.com