Kent Police recently arrested a man at a Kent hotel wanted for murder in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
Officers took Cedric McClinton Jr., 50, into custody without incident on Feb. 5 outside a hotel in the 22500 block of 83rd Avenue South, according to a Feb. 11 Kent Police news release and King County jail records. As of Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 11, McClinton remained in custody at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent awaiting extradition to Alabama. Bail was set at $1 million.
McClinton, 50, reportedly shot Cornelius Terell Smith, 37, Dec. 11, 2024 at a Tuscaloosa apartment complex, according to tuscaloosanews.com. He then fled the area.
A Kent detective received a tip that McClinton was hiding at a Kent hotel, according to Kent Police. The detective confirmed the man had a warrant from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office for the murder of Smith.
The detective determined that McClinton, of Birmingham, Alabama, and his girlfriend were staying at a Kent hotel. A team of officers responded to the hotel to verify he was still renting a room. An officer spotted McClinton standing outside the hotel.
McClinton quickly tried to walk away after spotting the patrol vehicles entering the parking lot, according to Kent Police. But he complied with officer demands to stop.
Officers took McClinton into custody for being a fugitive from justice, according to police.
After his extradition to Alabama, McClinton will face one count of murder, one count of attempted murder and discharging/shooting into an unoccupied vehicle, according to tuscaloosanews.com.
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