ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of an international fugitive who was captured in Savannah in April as part of Operation Take Back America.
According to USDOJ, Orville Andrew Pernell, 32 of Jamaica, was arraigned Friday and charged with possession of a firearm by an alien illegally or unlawfully present in the United States.
“Pernell is an international fugitive who was charged with murder before escaping custody in both Saint Lucia and Jamaica, and then unlawfully entering the United States under a false identity,” said acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. “Our office is proud of the collaborative work of our United States, Saint Lucian, and Jamaican law enforcement partners whose efforts resulted in Pernell’s identification and apprehension.”
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A federal grand jury delivered the indictment April 23, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.
On April 15, Channel 2 Action News reported when members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took Pernell into custody in Savannah. Pernell was arrested by ICE and members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on April 4.
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At the time, ICE officials said Pernell was wanted for murder and on the run, accused of killing Clius Alfred in Saint Lucia, located in the Caribbean, in 2020.
Pernell was said to have escaped custody while on trial for murder and went to Jamaica.
ICE said, while announcing Pernell’s arrest, that he’d been a fugitive for several years, having been encountered near California by members of the U.S. Border Patrol in December 2022 while trying to enter the United States with a fake identity.
USDOJ said Pernell was arrested by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in July 2023 after he was seen driving 115 mph.
During an attempted traffic stop, he sped off but was forced to stop after hitting heavy traffic, USAO said. Officers determined the bike was stolen and while searching him, found a handgun stolen from a firearms shipment. Pernell also gave Clayton County officers a fake name when he was arrested, saying his name was O’neil Reid.
Now that Pernell was charged in U.S. court, he’s been ordered detained pending trial and is subject to extradition back to Saint Lucia once his case in the U.S. is done.
Federal officials said the case was part of Operation Take Back America, a national immigration enforcement effort.
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