Leesburg Daily Commercial
A routine Saturday morning traffic stop in Lady Lake resulted in the arrest of a Missouri man on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, according to a news release from the Lady Lake Police Department.
Donald Eugene Fields II, 60, was wanted on federal child sex trafficking charges and Missouri state charges including statutory rape, statutory sodomy, child molestation and witness tampering. He failed to show up for a court hearing in Missouri in March 2022 and had been classified as a fugitive ever since, the release said.
According to the release, Lady Lake Police Sgt. Michelle Bilbrey stopped Fields’ vehicle at about 9:15 a.m. Saturday at U.S. 441/U.S. 27 and Rolling Acres Road because the license plate was not assigned to that vehicle.
“This proactive policing effort resulted in the identification and capture of Fields,” the release says.
“Sometimes, an everyday traffic stop turns into a real game-changer. This is a reminder that every officer, every day, is out there making a real difference,” Lady Lake Police Chief Steve Hunt said in the release. “Every traffic stop is an opportunity for justice. What starts as a routine encounter can quickly turn into a pivotal moment, where an officer’s sharp instincts and dedication to service lead to a significant arrest — keeping our community and in this case, the nation, safer.”
The FBI praised Bilbrey and the police department.
Fields was federally indicted in St. Louis on Dec. 7, 2023, on one count of child sex trafficking, according to the FBI press release. The indictment accuses Fields of knowingly attempting to recruit, entice, provide, patronize and solicit a minor into engaging in a commercial sex act from about January 2013 until June 2017. Fields is also facing charges including statutory rape, statutory sodomy, child molestation and witness tampering in Franklin County Circuit Court in Missouri, the FBI said. A warrant for his arrest was issued by that court after Fields vacated his home and failed to show up for a hearing March 3, 2022, court records show.
The FBI’s St. Louis field office said the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list was established in March 1950.
Fields “was the 531st fugitive added to the list,” the FBI said. “Of the total, 495 fugitives have now been apprehended or located — 163 of them as a result of citizen cooperation.”
