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More than 35,000 fugitives were caught nationally as part of Operation FALCON 2009, with 242 arrests being made in East Tennessee, the U.S. Marshals Service announced Thursday.

Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) has been operating since 2005 and has resulted in 91,086 arrests nationwide since its inception.

In East Tennessee, those arrested included 11 fugitive sex offenders, six wanted for homicide, six accused of financial fraud, and more than 150 fugitives on various other violent crimes.

Of those arrested locally, one person of note was Christopher T. Suttles, 27, who was on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's "Top 10 Most Wanted List" for allegedly stabbing a witness near Chattanooga in January. After spending six months as a fugitive, Suttles was arrested in Alcoa on June 15 by FALCON teams from Chattanooga and Knoxville.

Also in East Tennessee, David D. Riley -- who was also known as David Carter, and David Banner -- a 26-year-old with an extensive criminal record dating back to 1983 in four states, was caught. Riley was wanted by the Camden, N.J., Police Department on charges of rape, kidnapping and vehicle theft.

He was accused of stealing a car and then kidnapping a young woman to whom he had delivered furniture few days prior. He allegedly raped the victim repeatedly until she was able to escape in Maryland a few days later. Riley was charged with this crime on June 9.

Deputy U.S. Marshals and detectives with the Camden Police Department were able to develop leads that Riley might be hiding in Tennessee and referred the case to Operation FALCON Teams in Greeneville and Knoxville. FALCON Teams from New Jersey and Tennessee were able to arrest Riley near Bybee on June 17.

Focus on violent offenders

Teams participating in Operation FALCON 2009 placed emphasis on the capture of violent offenders, gang members and sex offenders, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Nationwide, the operation resulted in the arrest of 433 persons wanted for murder, 900 gang members and 2,356 sex offenders.

In order to provide participating agencies with broader jurisdictional authority, 5,007 federal, state and local law enforcement officers were sworn in as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals immediately prior to the start of a FALCON operation -- including employees of the Blount County Sheriff's Office. Throughout the course of the local operations, this special authority from the U.S. Marshals empowered all participating law enforcement officers to cross traditional lines of jurisdiction to track down and arrest targeted fugitives.

The Commander of Operation FALCON 2009, Chief Tommy Thompson, said this year's operation far exceeded expectations.

"Returning FALCON to its roots of a nationwide fugitive manhunt accomplished a feat never before done by the Marshals -- 35,000 wanted felons, many of whom were impact players for crime in their communities, off the streets in a mere four weeks," Thompson said. "FALCON 2009 shows us that when law enforcement from all levels joins forces, no fugitive can hide from justice for long."