Dominicans Arrest US Escapee After 6 Weeks
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · CRIME
Key Facts
- —What is happening Dominican anti-drug agents and the US Marshals arrested Sherman Kemp, 47, a US inmate who escaped in Miami, and deported him to Miami on Friday, 23 October.
- —Why it matters Kemp was serving 324 months (27 years) for cocaine, heroin and gun crimes, and the Marshals ended a six-week manhunt abroad in a country many Americans visit.
- —The numbers He escaped on 10 or 11 September, was arrested on Thursday, 22 October, and had a projected release date of 28 May 2036, the Marshals say.
- —Who is who Kemp, from Baltimore, is known as Goose and appeared in the 2004 Stop Snitching video. The DNCD is the Dominican drug-control agency; the Marshals hunt federal fugitives.
- —What to watch How the federal escape charge against Kemp is handled in court, and what the inquiry finds about how he got away from custody.
- —What it means for you For US travellers nothing changes, but the case shows US and Dominican officers can return a fugitive to Miami the day after an arrest.
Sherman Kemp, who escaped US custody in Miami in September, was caught in Santo Domingo and flown back on 23 October. The Marshals call it the end of a six-week manhunt.
Dominican anti-drug agents and the US Marshals arrested Sherman Kemp in Santo Domingo and flew him to Miami on Friday, 23 October. Kemp, 47, had escaped US federal custody in Miami about six weeks earlier.
He was serving a 27-year federal sentence for drug and gun crimes. Dominican Republic authorities handed him to US officers, which matters to readers because a fugitive was traced to a popular holiday country.
What Happened in Santo Domingo
The Marshals say Kemp was arrested on Thursday, 22 October, in the afternoon, "without incident". They say the arrest was made under a Dominican deportation order tied to his US federal warrant.
The arrest was carried out by the Marshals’ Dominican Republic Foreign Field Office Fugitive Investigative Unit. That unit is made up of vetted officers from the Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas (DNCD), the Dominican drug-control agency.
The DNCD says Kemp was found on Leonardo Da Vinci street in the Distrito Nacional, Listín Diario and Acento reported. It says prosecutors of the Ministerio Público coordinated the operation.
Kemp was deported through Las Américas International Airport, east of Santo Domingo, on Friday, 23 October. US Marshals took custody of him in Miami the same day.
Who Sherman Kemp Is
Kemp, from Baltimore, is known by the alias Goose. He was one of seven people in the 2004 "Stop Snitching" video that circulated in Baltimore, Fox Baltimore reported.
The DNCD says the video carried messages meant to scare witnesses away from cooperating with police. A 2008 US Attorney release says Kemp appears in numerous portions of the first Stop Snitching video.
Kemp pleaded guilty in 2008 to four counts of cocaine conspiracy and gun possession. On 17 July 2008, Chief Judge Benson Legg sentenced him to 15 years, the US Attorney’s office in Maryland said.
The Marshals say his total sentence is 324 months, or 27 years, from cases in Maryland and eastern Pennsylvania. It also covers heroin conspiracy, and his projected release date was 28 May 2036.
How He Got Away
The Marshals say Kemp escaped from federal custody in Miami on 10 September, and that the incident is under investigation. The DNCD gives 11 September, a Friday, as the date.
Telemundo 51, a Miami station, reported a temporary transfer from the Miami federal prison to a camp in Jesup, Georgia. It said he never arrived and was declared missing around 9 p.m. on a Friday.
Fox Baltimore, citing the Marshals, reported that he had been told to report to Georgia on his own. A federal judge in Georgia signed an arrest warrant for escape on 13 September, it said.
What It Means for US Readers
Travellers face no new rule, and Santo Domingo is a regular holiday and business destination for Americans. The case shows that US fugitives who flee to the Dominican Republic can be located and returned quickly.
It also shows how the Marshals work abroad, through a unit of vetted local officers rather than US agents making arrests alone. A separate Miami trial of two Dominican drug agents is due to start on 30 November.
Background is in earlier reports on Dominican security and crime and the Miami trial of two Dominican drug agents. See also the deportation of a homicide suspect on 20 October and the US$5.5 million cocaine bust.
What Is Not Known
The sources do not say how Kemp reached the Dominican Republic, how long he had been there or who helped him. The Marshals say only that the escape is under investigation.
The Marshals and the DNCD differ on the escape date and on the sentence. The Marshals say 324 months, the DNCD "nearly 30 years", and the 324-month figure is used here.
Dominican newspapers call him one of Florida’s most wanted, yet he was convicted in Maryland and Pennsylvania. No source explains the label, and no court date on the escape charge has been reported.
What Comes Next
Kemp is in US custody and the Marshals say the escape inquiry continues. A federal escape charge was reported in September, but no court date has been reported.
The arrest does not explain how he escaped. It also does not, by itself, change his sentence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sherman Kemp?
Kemp, 47, is a Baltimore man serving a 324-month federal sentence for cocaine, heroin and gun crimes. He appeared in the 2004 Stop Snitching video.
Where was Sherman Kemp arrested?
He was arrested in Santo Domingo, in the Distrito Nacional, on Thursday, 22 October, according to the Marshals. He was flown to Miami on Friday, 23 October.
Who made the arrest?
A Marshals unit of vetted Dominican officers from the drug-control agency DNCD made the arrest, the Marshals say. The DNCD says prosecutors were also involved.
How did Kemp escape?
The Marshals say he escaped from federal custody in Miami and the incident is under investigation. Telemundo 51 reported a temporary transfer to a camp in Jesup, Georgia.
What is the Stop Snitching video?
It is a 2004 Baltimore video in which Kemp and six others appeared. The DNCD says it carried messages meant to intimidate witnesses.
Sources: US Marshals Service, press release, 23 October; US Attorney, District of Maryland, 2008 sentencing; Listín Diario, 23 October; Acento, 23 October; Diario Libre, 23 October; N Digital, 23 October; Fox Baltimore, September; Telemundo 51, 13 September (all accessed 24 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief