OCEAN COUNTY – For 24 days, a fugitive was on the run after allegedly shooting a man while police searched far and wide. The suspect was finally apprehended on Thursday. He now faces a number of serious charges.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer confirmed the arrest of 61-year-old Donald Rutter of Tuckerton. He had been on the run after the January 5 shooting of Thomas Jarvis. According to police, Rutter was picked up by the United States Marshals Service.
Little Egg Harbor Township Police were dispatched to Jarvis Marine on Radio Road in response to a 911 call which related that a man had been shot. Officers found Thomas Jarvis with a gunshot wound to his midsection. Jarvis was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. He has since been released from the hospital and is recovering from his injuries.
A probe by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit revealed that Rutter was, in fact, the man who shot Jarvis.
Authorities said an exhaustive search of the surrounding area by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Regional SWAT Team, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey State Park Police, United States Marshals Service, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and Tuckerton Police Department, was unsuccessful in locating Rutter in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. However the search continued and a warrant was issued for his arrest, charging him with Attempted Murder and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.
Rutter was apprehended without incidenton January 28 in Atlantic City by the United States Marshals Service.
He is currently lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.
Prosecutor Billhimer said “I am extremely thankful for the outstanding teamwork exhibited by all the law enforcement agencies involved in locating Rutter. This is a prime example of law enforcement at its best, with our partners at the local, county, state, and federal levels coming together – working tirelessly for more than three weeks – to capture a fugitive from justice. Their collaboration and perseverance certainly paid off today” Prosecutor Billhimer stated.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledged the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Regional SWAT Team, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey State Park Police, United States Marshals Service, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Tuckerton Police Department for their collective efforts in connection with this investigation resulting in Rutter’s apprehension.
