Philadelphia CBP officers arrest Maine fugitive fleeing felony charges of sex assault and assaulting law enforcement

PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Maine man fleeing felony charges, including sex crimes and assault on law enforcement, as he attempted to board a flight to Germany at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday. CBP officers arrested Matthew Thomas Cooley, 41, of Solon, Maine, and turned him over to Tinicum Township, Pa., Police Department officers to initiate extradition. The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office in Maine charged Cooley with two Class A counts of gross sexual assault, one Class B count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one Class D count of domestic violence stalking. Cooley faces additional charges of two Class C counts of assault on an officer and one Class D count of refusing to submit to arrest for allegedly pepper spraying officers who arrested him. CBP officers encountered Cooley at the departure gate where he attempted to board a flight to Frankfurt on a one-way ticket. CBP officers verified with Somerset County Sheriffs that the full extradition warrant remained active and confirmed Cooley as the subject of that warrant. “Customs and Border Protection officers will always leverage our border security authority to help victims of sexual assault seek justice by capture dangerous fugitives attempting to flee the United States,” said Elliott N. Ortiz, CBP’s Area Port Director in Philadelphia. “Capturing dangerous fugitives is one way in which CBP works with our law enforcement partners to help keep our communities safe.”