Ex-Bucks County coach arrested in Florida after no-show for rape trial
Daytona Beach,Fla. (WTXF) - Members of the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force arrested Shannon Westmoreland, 48, in Daytona Beach, Florida, after authorities say he failed to appear for trial on multiple child sexual assault charges last week in Doylestown.
READ MORE: Former youth football coach charged with child sex crimes| Ex-Bucks County coach a no-show for rape trial
Westmoreland was arrested on Monday around 5:30 p.m.
He is accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old while he was a youth football coach with the Bensalem Ramblers Athletic Association in 2005. Westmoreland is also charged with sexually assaulting another child from the age of 4 until she was about 10, plus a third child in 1999 when she was 6 years old. Police accuse him of sexually assaulting her again in 2011 when she was 18.
After a thorough week of investigation in Chester and Delaware County, Deputies with the Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia developed information Westmoreland may have fled to Florida. On Monday morning, Deputy Marshals in Philadelphia briefed members of the U.S. Marshal Service Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force about a location they believed Westmoreland to be hiding.
On Monday, Westmoreland was observed by Marshal Service investigators in the 500 block of N.Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach, operating a known minivan. When the vehicle stopped, deputies were able to surround it and Westmoreland was taken into custody without incident.
Westmoreland was transported to the Volusia County Jail for processing and the Bucks County District Attorney's Office was notified.
Supervisory Deputy Robert Clark stated, "It is a top priority for the Marshals Service to bring those charged with serious sex crimes to justice. I hope the victims will find comfort knowing Mr. Westmoreland is once again in custody."