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US Marshal’s Service says VA sex offender who was on the run for 17 years caught in Atlanta

ATLANTA — A fugitive sex offender on the run for 17 years was captured in Atlanta Friday.

United States Marshals Service said accused interstate fugitive sexual predator Gustav Schilling was booked into the Fulton County Jail and is now awaiting trial.

According to the preliminary report, in 1995, Schilling went to a concert in Henrico County, Virginia, where he put on a mask, grabbed a woman, dragged her into the woods and attempted to rape her.

The victim was able to escape and reported it to authorities.

Schilling was convicted of abduction and attempted rape following the incident on Nov. 28, 1995. He was released from prison in 2000 and placed on probation.

While on probation, authorities said he was accused of voyeuristic behavior in a residential area.

It is unclear where the residential area was located.

On Aug. 14, 2006, U.S. Marshals said Schilling went to his job and, after work, disappeared. The Richmond City District Court issued a warrant charging Schilling with failure to register as a sex offender on Sept. 14, 2006.

When the warrant was issued, Virginia State Police contacted the U.S. Marshals Service for the Eastern District of Virginia, who began their search. Deputy Marshals then pursued him throughout the southeastern United States.

In the spring of 2022, U.S. Marshals said investigators developed information that Schilling was using the name “David Layton” and was possibly in the metro Atlanta area.

On Friday, Deputy Marshals spotted Schilling leaving a construction site in northern Atlanta near the intersection of Lindbergh Drive and Armand Road. He was arrested and taken to the Fulton County Detention Center.

“The United States Marshals Service will never stop our pursuit of violent fugitives,” Chief Deputy United States Marshal J.B. Stevens said. “The mission of enhancing public safety, keeping our local communities safer, and ensuring sex offenders are properly monitored is critical. We are honored that it is our responsibility. No matter how long a fugitive runs, we will find them.”

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