A multi-agency manhunt ended Wednesday afternoon with the arrest of 29-year-old Samuel M. Otero, who fled from law enforcement near Colorado Avenue and Abbe Road in Sheffield Village.
According to radio traffic and eyewitness accounts, the search began after a reported protection order violation at a home off Root Road in Lorain. Otero allegedly left the scene as a passenger in a gray minivan and later exited the vehicle near Dollar General in Sheffield, fleeing on foot into a wooded area behind a church.
Officers from Lorain Police Department, Sheffield Lake, Sheffield Village, and the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office responded. A perimeter was established, and both K9 units and drones were deployed to assist in locating the suspect. At one point, officers reportedly discovered discarded clothing, suggesting Otero had stripped down to his underwear during the attempt to evade capture.
Multiple residents in the area reported heavy police activity, with at least 13 patrol cars seen on scene. Law enforcement eventually located and apprehended Otero with assistance from a citizen on Schuller Avenue who reportedly held him at gunpoint until police arrived.
Otero was booked into the Lorain County Jail on June 18. He faces charges including burglary, two counts of violating a protection order, and misdemeanor assault. He is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in Lorain Municipal Court on June 20 at 1:00 p.m.
Otero has a history of recent arrests, including a March 2025 booking for assault on a peace officer, breaking and entering, and aggravated menacing.