Cold case fugitive on the run from police for over 23 years arrested
A man who has evaded police since 2002 has finally been arrested after more than 23 years on the run, authorities said.
The U.S. Marshals Service along with the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) arrested 52-year-old Juan Carlos Munoz, who had been wanted by the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio for failure to appear on kidnapping and gross sexual imposition charges since Jan. 11, 2002, during a traffic stop after he claimed to be somebody else, according to a statement from the USMS.
Over the past year, the NOVFTF took fugitive apprehension responsibility for Munoz and started an in-depth investigation into his whereabouts and, on Thursday, members of the NOVFTF positively identified Munoz get into a vehicle and drive away from a location they were surveilling for him, according to officials.
“Today, that vehicle was later pulled over for a traffic violation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Munoz provided a false Ohio identification and claimed to be another male,” said USMS. “A swift investigation was conducted by the NOVFTF and fingerprints were taken that revealed the true identity of the subject in question to be fugitive Juan Carlos Munoz.”
Munoz was immediately arrested on site based off of his outstanding warrant, authorities said.
“After 23 years of evading arrest, our task force arrested this deceptive and dangerous fugitive,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said. “This fugitive went to extreme lengths to avoid being arrested, including assuming another identity over twenty years ago and has been living under that alias all this time.”
Following his arrest, Munoz was taken to the Lake County Jail where he is currently awaiting for extradition to Ashtabula County, officials confirmed.
The investigation is currently ongoing.
