Five days after the murder of two people in a Parker Street home, officials arrested the man they believe was responsible.
The U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force found 34-year-old Craig Daniels Jr. in a hole under a large pine tree on his mother’s property in Louisville, Ohio – a suburb of Canton – around 3:25 p.m. yesterday.
According to Bowling Green Police Lt. Tony Hetrick, Daniels was hiding under a tarp when marshals found him.
At the time of the arrest, Daniels had no weapons and did not put up a fight. There was no indication Daniels’ mother had helped him hide, Hetrick said.
Daniels was taken to Stark County Jail and at press time, Bowling Green police were expected to transport him back to Bowling Green to be booked in the Wood County Justice Center last night or early today.
Daniels is accused of murdering longtime Bowling Green resident Alicia Castillon, 30, and her boyfriend John C. Mitchell, 22, of Toledo, early Thursday morning.
In a frantic 3 a.m. 911 call, Castillon’s 10-year-old daughter Katie identified Daniels as the killer. Castillon’s four children, ranging from 9 months to 10 years old, were in the home at the time of the shooting.
Daniels had fathered two of them and had a history of domestic violence with Castillon. In 2000, he was sentenced to five years in prison for domestic violence, burglary and intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case. On Feb. 7, he was indicted on charges of stalking and resisting arrest. He was ordered to stay away from Castillon and move to his mother’s house. On March 26, he appeared at the Wood County Court of Common Pleas and Judge Reeve Kelsey told Daniels he could remain free as long as he followed court orders.
By Thursday, there was a warrant for Daniels’ arrest on two charges of aggravated murder.
Since the murders, Bowling Green police had been cooperating with law enforcement agencies across the state to find Daniels.
On Friday, Stark County sheriffs found Daniel’s blue pickup truck within a mile of his mother’s home and began searching the county extensively.
Upon hearing Daniels was arrested, Bowling Green police were thrilled and both victims’ families were happy to hear he was caught, Hetrick said.
“It was a team effort and we’re happy with the way it turned out,” he said.
But that doesn’t mean police will stop investigating the case.
“We put in a lot of hours on this case and there’s a lot more work to be done,” Hetrick said. “Now we’ll concentrate on building the best case against [Daniels].”
If convicted, Daniels could face the death penalty or life in prison.
