Manhunt ends with fugitive’s arrest

staff report

SALINEVILLE — Brian Lee Wood, 29, was arrested as he exited a trailer in this Columbiana County community Thursday.

Wood has been on federal supervision since a 2004 conviction for interstate transportation of stolen goods. He was wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service for a federal supervised release violation for possession of an assault rifle.

“The citizens of Columbiana County should be at ease that this public threat has been removed,” U.S. Marshal Peter J. Elliott said in a press release.

When confronted by his probation officer, Wood barricaded himself in his residence on East Main Street and fled through a window.

The manhunt for Wood, who has an extensive arrest history in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri, ended with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, Columbiana County Sheriff’s Department and numerous Mahoning Valley police departments.

“Those that consistently disregard the law and bring danger to law enforcement officers and the community become a priority for apprehension by our task force,” said Elliott.

“This was a dangerous fugitive, and he needed to be arrested quickly, he said.

The task force encourages anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of a known fugitive to call 1-(866) 4-WANTED.