Current:Home > NewsMan who escaped from Oregon prison 30 years ago found in Georgia using dead child's identity, officials say-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Man who escaped from Oregon prison 30 years ago found in Georgia using dead child's identity, officials say
View Date:2024-12-23 15:55:37
A fugitive was arrested this week in central Georgia after being on the run for nearly 30 years, authorities said. The man escaped from an Oregon prison in 1994 and subsequently stole the identity of a child who had died in Texas decades earlier, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Steven Craig Johnson was taken into custody Tuesday by members of a regional task force in Macon, Georgia, who found him at around 2 p.m. at an apartment complex in the city, the Marshals Service said in a news release. Now 70, Johnson had been living under the alias William Cox since 2011.
He fled from a prison work crew in Oregon on Nov. 29, 1994, while serving a state sentence for sexual abuse and sodomy. His convictions more specifically included three counts of first-degree sex abuse and one count of first-degree attempted sodomy, CBS affiliate KOIN-TV reported.
Johnson had been serving his sentence at the Mill Creek Correctional Facility in Salem, about halfway between Portland and Eugene, the Oregon Department of Corrections said. The Mill Creek facility was a minimum security prison located just a few miles outside of the city of Salem, on an unfenced property covering around 2,000 acres, according to the department. Before it closed in 2021, the facility housed roughly 290 inmates who were within four years of release.
Johnson was wanted on an arrest warrant for escape in Oregon, where he has been listed for years among six of the state's most wanted people. A wanted poster for Johnson issued by the Oregon Department of Corrections noted Texas as one potential location where he had fled, although authorities did not give more details as to his connection to Texas, if any. The poster said Johnson is "a pedophile and presents a high probability of victimizing pre-teen boys." It cautioned that he "should not be allowed contact with children."
The Marshals Service said that it took on Johnson's fugitive case in 2015 at the request of the Oregon Department of Corrections. After spending nine years trying to find him, the agency said that "new investigative technology employed by the Diplomatic Security Service" finally helped develop meaningful leads in 2024.
In addition to adopting a fake name, the investigation also revealed that Johnson had stolen the identity of a child after escaping prison. The child died in Texas in January 1962, the Marshals Service said. Johnson obtained a copy of the child's birth certificate and, soon after, obtained a Social Security number in Texas in 1995. The earliest record of Johnson with a Georgia driver's license came in 1998.
Following his arrest in Georgia, Johnson was booked into the Bibb County Jail in Macon. He is awaiting extradition back to Oregon.
- In:
- United States Marshals Service
- Georgia
- Oregon
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.
Twitter InstagramveryGood! (44)
Related
- Dogecoin soars after Trump's Elon Musk announcement: What to know about the cryptocurrency
- Beat the Heat With These 19 Hacks To Make a Sweaty Commute Much More Tolerable
- Doja Cat Debuts Her Boldest Hair Transformation Yet With Spider Design
- Jersey Shore’s Snooki Gets Candid on Her Weight Struggles in Message to Body Shamers
- Is Veterans Day a federal holiday? Here's what to know for November 11
- Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
- Come on Barbie, Let’s Go Shopping: Your Guide to the Best Barbie Collabs: Barefoot Dreams, Crocs & More
- Iran’s hijab law brings united front among country’s women
- 'Survivor' 47, Episode 9: Jeff Probst gave players another shocking twist. Who went home?
- Tony Bennett and Susan Crow's Love Story Will Fly You to the Moon
Ranking
- The Daily Money: Markets react to Election 2024
- Billie Eilish Mourns Death of Beloved Dog Pepper
- All the Signs Prince George Is Taking This Future-King Business Seriously
- Get a $198 J.Crew Dress for $32 and More Jaw-Dropping Deals Starting at $6
- Elton John Details Strict Diet in His 70s
- Seaside North Carolina town overrun with hundreds of non-native ducks
- Toast the End of Harry Styles' Tour With Facts That Taste Like Strawberries on a Summer Evenin'
- Coast Guard searching for cruise passenger who jumped overboard
Recommendation
-
Medical King recalls 222,000 adult bed assistance rails after one reported death
-
Barack and Michelle Obama's Chef Dies While Paddleboarding Near Their Martha's Vineyard Home
-
Madison Beer Claps Back at Body Shamer Saying She's Getting Fatter
-
MrBeast YouTuber Kris Tyson Comes Out as Transgender
-
Man gets a life sentence in the shotgun death of a New Mexico police officer
-
Bodybuilder Justyn Vicky Dead at 33 After 450-Pound Barbell Falls on His Neck
-
Coast Guard searching for cruise passenger who jumped overboard
-
Weather off the coast of Acapulco hinders efforts to find missing Baltimore man