PRESS RELEASE

Selfies Lead to Wanted Felons Arrest After 3 State Search (NH/FL/KY)

On January 18th, 2019 the Criminal Bureau received information that Joseph Giroux, age 41, had a nationwide extraditable felony warrant for Theft out of the Sarasota Florida Sheriff’s Office. The Fugitive Unit and a bail bondsman out of Sarasota contacted detectives and forwarded information that Giroux was allegedly residing in Pelham.  He had been out on a bond for $287,552.00. Detectives were familiar with Giroux through prior police contact.

Detectives began tracking Giroux down. They interviewed several individuals from the southern NH area and learned that weeks earlier he had been temporarily residing in Pelham. He only had a short stay in New Hampshire where he allegedly committed a crime of Theft in Northwood, New Hampshire and became a strong suspect in a Theft in Pelham, New Hampshire. The victim of the Northwood crime had paid for work to be completed and Giroux never started, yet he cashed the check they had given him at a bank in Manchester, New Hampshire. Video footage from the bank confirmed his identity. The victim of that crime provided Pelham Detectives with his cell phone number.

Detectives began texting Giroux posing as a female from Pelham who was interested in him. They quickly started a texting relationship and he stayed in contact with the undercover Detective for a few weeks. Giroux eventually sent multiple “selfies” of himself and provided personal information about himself. The “selfie” and the personal information he provided, led to a search warrant to track his cell phone location.

Giroux had shut his phone off for a few days and when he turned it back on, he was in Punta Gorda, Florida. Pelham Detectives forwarded his location to the US Marshalls and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office in Florida and again he fell off the grid. His phone was turned on a few days later and according to the cell phone “ping” he was now in Paducah, Kentucky. Kentucky authorities were immediately contacted by Pelham Detectives.

Paducah Kentucky Police Department activated their Drug and Vice Enforcement Unit and Operations Unit and began conducted surveillance for almost 24 hours. They were finally able to take Giroux into custody without incident. He is being held in the McCracken County Jail in Kentucky pending extradition back to sunny Florida.

While Giroux was in New Hampshire he told his victims that he was the owner of a company called “Joseph Giroux 1st Choice Flooring and More, Inc.” If any New Hampshire residents fell victim to a scam involving this company or Giroux, contact your local police department.

The Pelham Police Department would like to thank the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and the Paducah, Kentucky Police Department for arresting Giroux.  

Giroux’s booking photo from Kentucky is included.  The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Alert sent on 02/14/2019 at 2:00PM EST

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