Larry Walrad Jr, a 52-year-old Lansing man named as a Person of Interest in the murder case of an Ithaca man, was arrested in Candor on Friday afternoon after an intensive overnight search operation.
Walrad, who had been sought in connection with the murder of 71-year-old Joseph F. West Jr, was apprehended near a creek off Water Street by Tioga County Sheriff’s Deputies. The arrest was executed on a second-degree murder warrant issued by the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office. The search operation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the State Police, Owego Police, and a K-9 unit from Schuyler.
Walrad was arraigned with a sealed, one-count indictment charging him with second-degree murder, according to the Tompkins County District Attorney. The suspect, who was believed to have gone into hiding after learning of the indictment, was taken into custody without incident and remanded to Tompkins County Jail.
At the time of his arrest, Walrad was found in possession of a pocket knife. The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office had initially identified Walrad as a person of interest after the discovery of West’s body at an address in Lansing on March 5.
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