The FBI has put a man from Virginia on its list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives for 2024. He was found guilty of multiple counts of child pornography and sexual abuse of kids. The 38-year-old Donald Eugene Fields II has been on the run since 2022, when he didn’t show up for his sentencing hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia U.S. District Court.
Background
Fields was caught in 2020 after the FBI and the Virginia State Police found that he had made and sold child pornography with a number of children, some of whom were as young as 4 years old. The FBI says he also sexually abused some of the kids he took advantage of. Fields admitted to making four counts of child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography, and one count of forcing or tempting a minor to do sexual behavior that is against the law. He had to get at least 15 years in prison and could have gone to jail for life.
Escape and Lookout
In order to wait for his sentence in June 2022, Fields was freed on bond. He did, however, turn off the electronic tracking device and leave the area, leaving a note that said he was sorry for what he had done and that he loved his family. Since then, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service have been looking for Fields based on hundreds of tips and leads from the public. Fields is thought to be armed and dangerous, and he may have changed his look or used fake names to avoid being caught. He has ties to West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Virginia. He may have also been to other states or countries.
Pleasure and Reward
The FBI is giving away up to $100,000 for information that helps them catch Fields. For anyone who knows where he is, they should call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or send an online tip to tips.fbi.gov. The FBI also wants people to watch out for any signs of child abuse or exploitation and to tell the police about anything that seems fishy.
In Conclusion
The FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list was created in 1950 to make people more aware of and help catch the country’s most dangerous crooks. Fields is the newest person to be added to the list. Since then, 524 wanted criminals have been added to the list, and 492 have been caught or found, with 163 of them thanks to help from the public.
Fields is the only criminal from Virginia on the list right now. He is also only the second person from Virginia to ever be on the list. Thomas Brooks was the first. He was caught in 1983 after being wanted for killing a Virginia State Trooper in 1979. The FBI hopes that Fields will soon be caught and brought to justice for his horrible crimes.