MIAMI — One of the U.S. Army's "15 Most Wanted" fugitives was arrested in Florida on Thursday, more than 36 years after the man escaped from a federal prison in Kansas and went on the run.
James Robert Jones, a U.S. Army private, was arrested as he showed up for work near Deerfield Beach, Florida, the U.S. Marshall's Service said in a statement.
He had been living in Florida under an alias and admitted his real identity shortly after he was arrested.
Jones was convicted of premeditated murder and aggravated assault in 1974. He was serving a 23-year sentence when he escaped from a maximum-security prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1977.
The U.S. military has its own law enforcement and judicial processes that parallel civilian systems.
Four years later, Jones obtained a fake Florida driver's license, changed his birthdate but listed his actual address, the Marshals Service said.
New information led investigators to locate Jones, officials said. Authorities used a facial recognition database to help identify him. They conducted surveillance on his home early Thursday before following him to his job, where he was arrested without incident.
Jones is being held in a Florida jail before he is placed in the custody of the U.S. Army.
— Reuters
