Fugitive task force arrests man wanted for fleeing Vermilion cops

A wanted man who fled from Vermilion police and Erie County sheriff's deputies May 10 was arrested Wednesday morning by a fugitive task force. James Earl Thompson, 39, with a last known address in Vermilion, was found inside a car in the Mill Hollow Vermilion River Reservation at 51211 North Ridge Road and arrested without incident, according to the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force. Vermilion Police Chief Christopher Hartung said Wednesday that felony charges against Thompson now include failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, having weapons under disability, unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance or possession of explosives, while the misdemeanor charges include reckless operation, having fictitious license plates and driving under suspension. The weapons charges resulted after police found an AK-47 converted for full-automatic fire during a search of Thompson's residence on May 11, Hartung said. Thompson currently is being held without bond at the Erie County Jail, pending his arraignment via video this afternoon, Hartung said. Thompson was wanted by Vermilion police after he fled a traffic stop May 10. An officer stopped Thompson's truck while investigating a report that a man was trying to break into a Jeep parked in the city. "When officers made contact with Thompson and asked for his driver's license, he told them he did not need one because he was a sovereign soul and Jesus Christ told him he did not need a license," the fugitive task force said in the announcement of Thompson's arrest. Instead of getting out of his GMC Sonoma, Thompson led Vermilion officers and Erie County deputies on a chase that ended when he fled his car near the Vermilion Country Club golf course, according to authorities. Thompson was believed to be armed with a gun, and officers found ammunition, a bulletproof vest, knives and survival gear in his truck after the chase ended. Vermilion police have charged him with felony fleeing and eluding; he also was wanted on a warrant for failure to pay child support, Chief Christopher Hartung said at the time. The task force worked with Vermilion police and deputies from Erie and Lorain counties for a week to locate Thompson, who also will face weapons charges, the task force said. "This fugitive posed an incredible danger to not only law enforcement when he fled but also to the community," Pete Elliott of the U.S. Marshals Service said Wednesday. "A great partnership with the sheriff's offices and Vermilion police brought this case to a quick end with the suspect being arrested without any more danger to the community."