Current:Home > MarketsAuthorities recapture fugitive who used dead child's identity after escaping prison in 1994-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Authorities recapture fugitive who used dead child's identity after escaping prison in 1994
View Date:2024-12-23 15:09:43
An Oregon man, using a dead child’s identity to evade authorities, was arrested earlier this week after more than 20 years on the run.
A U.S. Marshals Service regional task force detained 70-year-old Steven Craig Johnson at an apartment complex in Macon, Georgia, over 2,500 miles east of Salem, Oregon, where he had been serving out a state prison sentence for multiple sex crimes.
Johnson had been in the area since 2011, living and working under the alias of William Cox, which was the identity of a Texas child that died in January 1962, according to a news release.
He was able to obtain a copy of the dead child’s birth certificate and eventually a social security number.
Marshals Service officials have spent nearly a decade looking for Johnson, attributing the development of “new investigative technology” in the last year as the reason why they were able to locate and arrest him.
Oregon fugitive awaits extradition, originally fled from work crew
Johnson is set to return to the place he fled from in November 1994.
He ditched a work crew at Mill Creek Correctional Facility, where he was serving time for sexual abuse and sodomy, according to a news release from the Oregon Department of Corrections.
Johnson was described as a “pedophile,” who “presents a high probability of victimizing pre-teen boys," the Oregon Department of Corrections said in a 2019 notice. Johnson was “wanted” on a 30-year-old state arrest warrant, which was issued after his escape from the now-closed minimum security facility.
He was arrested and booked into Bibb County Jail in Macon, where he is awaiting extradition back to Oregon. Johnson had served a little over five years when he made his escape and has about 11 years remaining on his sentence, according to reporting by the Salem Statesman Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
All escaped inmates are subject to ODOC reviews to “determine the threat based on the level of felony charges and time remaining on their sentences.” the Statesman Journal reported. Those with “highest degrees of crime” are considered "most wanted.”
The ODOC has apprehended 38 fugitives since 2012 and has six escapees, including Johnson, on its "most wanted" list, the Statesman Journal reported.
Contributing: Isabel Funk; Salem Statesman Journal
veryGood! (15)
Related
- Young Black and Latino men say they chose Trump because of the economy and jobs. Here’s how and why
- No harmful levels of PCBs found at Wyoming nuclear missile base as Air Force investigates cancers
- ‘Get out of my house!’ Video shows 98-year-old mother of Kansas newspaper publisher upset amid raid
- 'Ahsoka' review: Rosario Dawson's fan-friendly 'Star Wars' show lacks 'Andor' ambition
- The ancient practice of tai chi is more popular than ever. Why?
- Proof Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott's Daughter Stormi Is Ready for Kids Baking Championship
- Ecuadorians head to the polls just weeks after presidential candidate assassinated
- Mississippi officer out of job after 10-year-old is taken into custody for urinating in public
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- 1 in 5 women report mistreatment from medical staff during pregnancy
Ranking
- Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights
- Ecuadorians head to the polls just weeks after presidential candidate assassinated
- What's the newest Funko Pop figurine? It could be you
- Tropical Depression Harold's path as it moves through southern Texas
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State lead the preseason college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-133
- Tropical Storm Franklin nears Haiti and the Dominican Republic bringing fears of floods, landslides
- Indianapolis police release bodycam footage showing man fleeing police shot in back by officer
Recommendation
-
Caitlin Clark's gold Nike golf shoes turn heads at The Annika LPGA pro-am
-
Chicago White Sox fire executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn
-
Chipotle IQ is back: How to take the test, what to know about trivia game
-
Burger King gave candy to a worker who never called in sick. The internet gave $400k
-
The Army’s answer to a lack of recruits is a prep course to boost low scores. It’s working
-
Tropical Storm Harold forms in Gulf, immediately heads for Texas
-
Fake Arizona rehab centers scam Native Americans far from home, officials warn during investigations
-
US Coast Guard rescues man who was stranded on an island in the Bahamas for 3 days