Marshals nab fugitive former assistant police chief in Ala.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — U.S. Marshals arrested a Tallassee, Ala., former assistant police chief Thursday morning after he failed to show up for his federal prison sentence.

Chris Miles, 41, of Eclectic, Ala., was arrested at 7 a.m. CT at a residence in Notasulga, Ala., about 15 miles east of Tallassee, and then taken to the Frank M. Johnson Federal Building in Montgomery to await initial appearance before a federal judge, said M. Dante Gordon, a deputy U.S. marshal. Miles was supposed to report Friday to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving a 41-month sentence.

He had pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing justice and one count each of deprivation of rights and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

“Our guys worked tirelessly, applying broad and comprehensive investigative techniques that led to the apprehension of this fugitive,” U.S. Marshal Thomas Hession said.

The obstruction and deprivation of rights charges were in connection with a high-profile child sexual-abuse case in Elmore County, Ala. Stephen Conrad initially was charged with more than 100 counts in the investigation.

It later came out that Miles, while serving as assistant chief, used physical force to coerce a confession from Conrad. A portion of Tallassee, about 30 miles northeast of Montgomery, is in Elmore County.

Federal court documents show that Miles struck Conrad on the head two times with a bundle of copy paper. The drug charge stems from Miles stealing 16 pounds of marijuana from the Tallassee Police Department evidence locker and then selling the pot to a known drug dealer.

The Alabama State Bureau of Investigations re-investigated the case against Conrad and brought about a dozen charges against him.

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