The Kendall County Sheriff’s Department’s #FugitiveFridays social media campaign helped lead to the arrest of this wanted fugitive. (Photo courtesy of Kendall Co. Sheriff’s Dept.)

About two and a half weeks ago, Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird was at Panera Bread for a bite when he got an unexpected tip.

It’s one of many he’s gotten lately, following the department’s social media campaign, #FugitiveFridays, where a suspect on the run is featured every week.

Several weeks ago, Kevin Cox, Jr., had his face popping up on hundreds of people’s Facebook feeds. One local teen saw the photo and told his dad he might know where Cox is hiding out.

When that dad ran into Baird at Panera, the information was shared and within weeks, Cox was taken into custody in Missouri to face his charge.

“We started the (#FugitiveFridays) campaign at the beginning of the year, and it’s slowly gained momentum,” Baird said.

So much so, that even a quick trip for lunch ends in a fugitive’s arrest.

“Not a week goes by that I don’t see someone in the community who comments on the campaign,” Baird said. “It’s really been successful to us working on these cases. We’ve seen a rise in tips coming in and also fugitive arrests.”

Baird said that at any given time, there are between 1,500 and 1,600 active warrants in Kendall County. Many of those are for minor violations, including traffic offenses, but others, like the suspects featured on #FugitiveFridays, have been accused of much harsher offenses.

“A lot of people who commit crimes again and again are wanted on warrants,” Baird said. “Some will get out of the area, commit another crime, and we’ll get a call that they were picked up for a charge in another jurisdiction.”

And sometimes, like in the case of fugitive Brett Warriner — who was picked up in Kendall County on Aug. 5 — fugitives wanted in other states and counties are found hiding right here in Kendall.

“The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate fugitives hiding in Kendall County. Fugitives will be tracked down, caught and brought back to justice,” Baird said following Warriner’s arrest.

He said Warriner had been hiding out from Colorado authorities on several charges, and had been in Kendall County since June 9.

In addition to the #FugitiveFridays campaign, Baird said the rise in recent arrests is also in part because of new partnership with The United States Marshal’s Great Lakes Region Task Force.

The task force is comprised of area police officers and deputy sheriffs from various Chicago area agencies who are assigned to work full-time with federal agents with the U.S. Marshals. Their goal is to take suspects with active warrants into custody.

According to Baird, the U.S. Marshals have access to a mound of additional resources, not available to the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office.

He noted that they are “uniquely equipped and trained in locating and apprehending violent and dangerous offenders.”

So, whether criminals are hiding locally, or across the country, Baird is confident they’ll eventually be caught.

“They know they’re wanted, and they’re hiding from us,” he said. “We feel that getting them off the street will prevent crime they could be committing while they’re wanted on a warrant. It’s our job to bring them in.”

And sometimes, that job for Baird is as simple as walking into Panera Bread for lunch.

— Social media campaign helps get fugitives off the street —