Sikeston fugitive arrested in Indiana

The final member of Sikeston's Sumlin family being sought on federal drug distribution charges was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Kokomo, Ind.

Rufus Montshobee Sumlin III, 26, was arrested by Kokomo police officers after they obtained photos and warrant information from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

Sikeston detectives had received information last week from a person in Kokomo who had learned Sumlin was a wanted fugitive from the city's Web site.

Surveillance led to his arrest at a residence in Kokomo. Several agencies were involved in the effort, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI, the U.S. Marshal's Office in Cape Girardeau, the Scott County Sheriff's Department, the Kokomo police and the Sikeston DPS.

Sumlin had previously been convicted of federal drug charges and had only been out of prison for about seven months before new charges of distributing crack cocaine had been filed against him this fall, said Sikeston DPS detective Mark Crocker.

Police had been actively seeking him since Sept. 11, when other members of his family were arrested during morning raids at several residences in Sikeston and rural Scott County.

In total, 15 members of the Sumlin family have been prosecuted by the federal government on drug-related charges over the last several years, Crocker said.