G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/05/05/fugitive-nabbed-years-run/26946973/ Fugitive nabbed after 56 years on the run J.D. Gallop, Florida Today 2 days ago MELBOURNE, Fla. — Frank Freshwaters' long run at freedom came to an end with a knock on his door. It was then that the gray-bearded man living under the alias of William Cox in an old trailer home tucked away in the wild lands just west of Melbourne stared ahead at an officer with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office GAMEOVER Task Force. http://imgur.com/JSaUD1Z The deputy held up a black and white picture of a fresh-faced 23-year-old and asked Cox if he had ever seen the young man. "He looked at the picture then told them, 'I haven't seen him in a long while,'" said Maj. Tod Goodyear, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. The deputy then asked the question that everyone knew the answer to. "He said to him, 'It's you isn't it?' And that was it. He's been living the retired life and was getting Social Security benefits, I believe under his alias. He's been living under that alias for years," Goodyear said. The 79-year-old man led away in handcuffs was a fugitive. Authorities say he escaped from the Sandusky, Ohio, Honor Farm in 1959. His real name: Frank Freshwaters, an inmate who once stayed at the Ohio State Reformatory, the infamous state prison featured in the movie Shawshank Redemption. "He admitted who he was and owned up to everything," U.S. Marshal Pete Elliot said when reached at his Ohio office. Three months ago, Elliot, whose federal jurisdiction is northern Ohio, formed a cold-case unit and quickly turned up information on Freshwaters. "He's been in Florida for several decades. He probably tried to go as far south as he could," Elliot said. Ohio authorities said Freshwaters, then 21 and married, struck and killed 24-year-old Eugene Flynt with his vehicle on July 3, 1957, in Akron. Documents released by Elliot's office show that Freshwaters was traveling more than 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. Freshwaters, a painter by profession, was indicted on second-degree manslaughter charges. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was given five years of probation with a suspended sentence of one to 20 years, records show. In Feb. 1959, Freshwaters was charged with violating his probation and sent to the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. Later, authorities said, he charmed prison officials, gaining their trust as a model inmate. He was sent to the Sandusky Honor Farm, where he escaped on Sept. 30,1959. Goodyear said the man told sheriff's agents that he had been on the lam since escaping in 1959, settling down in Melbourne and earning a living driving a truck before he retired. Continued at link Is it just me or is this bull****? To use resources on this? 79-year-old for Auschwitz SS guard who played the part in the murder of 2 million Jews and others. Ok I get. That old mob boss from Boston who they finally caught in Socal a couple years back after 30+ on the run (Smiley Burger or some ****), yeah I get that. But this? Come on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/05/05/fugitive-nabbed-years-run/26946973/ Is it just me or is this bull****? To use resources on this? 79-year-old for Auschwitz SS guard who played the part in the murder of 2 million Jews and others. Ok I get. That old mob boss from Boston who they finally caught in Socal a couple years back after 30+ on the run (Smiley Burger or some ****), yeah I get that. But this? Come on. I don't agree with you. I think I might support commute his sentence or something after a hearing, but I don't think it is a good idea for us, as a society, to reward jailbreak by just ignoring the guys who break out, no matter how long it has been. It sends a bad message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted May 9, 2015 Author Share Posted May 9, 2015 I don't agree with you. I think I might support commute his sentence or something after a hearing, but I don't think it is a good idea for us, as a society, to reward jailbreak by just ignoring the guys who break out, no matter how long it has been. It sends a bad message. I just think it's a waste if resources to go after a 79 year old man, who's been MIA for over half a century, has been law-abiding the entire time, active in his church anf local community, is loved by his neighbors. And again. 79 year old and 56 years ago. Florida must be bored Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve09ru Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Tell that to the family members of who they killed. Ok, he got his life together but he still has to pay for what he did. You're basically saying to all murderers, 'Ah let them live in the real world afterwards, if they get their life together then we'll forget about it' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 He was a fugitive longer than I've been alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpyaks3 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Tell that to the family members of who they killed. Ok, he got his life together but he still has to pay for what he did. You're basically saying to all murderers, 'Ah let them live in the real world afterwards, if they get their life together then we'll forget about it' He was a fugitive because he broke parole not because he killed someone speeding, breaking parole can mean pretty much anything.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I don't agree with you. I think I might support commute his sentence or something after a hearing, but I don't think it is a good idea for us, as a society, to reward jailbreak by just ignoring the guys who break out, no matter how long it has been. It sends a bad message. Exactly. He should own up publicly to what he did and be prepared to face the consequences. However, if I was the judge I would give him grace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redskins3D Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I don't think they had as many resources after this guy as you're implying. There weren't roadblocks and DNA labs working around the clock. The guy made a mistake, someone picked up on it. Case Closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dont Taze Me Bro Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Very interesting case. Wonder how they caught him after nearly 60 years? Would have been real easy to get a new identity back in 1959, or assume one from say a deceased person near your age. Still, he broke the law being a fugitive and unlawfully drew Social Security benefits he was not entitled to legally. Hard to say where all this will end up for him, I'd imagine he would have to serve some time, just given the fact that he committed fraud of SS benefits, which would be fraud at the federal level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Very interesting case. Wonder how they caught him after nearly 60 years? Would have been real easy to get a new identity back in 1959, or assume one from say a deceased person near your age. Still, he broke the law being a fugitive and unlawfully drew Social Security benefits he was not entitled to legally. Hard to say where all this will end up for him, I'd imagine he would have to serve some time, just given the fact that he committed fraud of SS benefits, which would be fraud at the federal level. If he worked and paid his taxes wouldn't he have paid into social security? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 With a false name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Not a fan of saying "Aww shucks, its been long enough, enjoy your life" to some asshole that killed another person, then escaped prison (which basically tells me he didn't give a **** about what happened). Maybe someone would like to explain to the family of the victim, how wrong and morally unjust it is for the perpetrator to have to be sent back to prison. Wouldn't give a damn he achieved world peace and had one foot in the grave. Rot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Let's be fair here, he was going 15 over out in the boonies somewhere, she was walking on the road he clipped her and she died. His original sentence for the voluntary manslaughter wasn't any time. So nobodies family got ****ed over. He ****ed up probation, he ****ed over probation. Side note: anyone seen a sentence like that 1-20 years suspended? That would freak me out. My suspended was whatever was left on my supervised release. So I had three years supervised release to staart (like parole). If I broke it day 1, I was doing 3 years. If I broke it in two years, I'd have 1 year to do (and man did I have some calls. P.S. Don't **** around with house arrest) But 1-20 suspended? Never heard of such a thing. They still do that some places? How does it work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Not a fan of saying "Aww shucks, its been long enough, enjoy your life" to some asshole that killed another person, then escaped prison (which basically tells me he didn't give a **** about what happened). Maybe someone would like to explain to the family of the victim, how wrong and morally unjust it is for the perpetrator to have to be sent back to prison. Wouldn't give a damn he achieved world peace and had one foot in the grave. Rot I thought he was on the run due to parole violation not because he didn't serve his sentence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 I thought he was on the run due to parole violation not because he didn't serve his sentence?I read where he violated his probation, and was sent to prison, then was transferred (im guessing to a minutemal security facility) after he put on a good Oscar performance, only to escape. Pretty much tells me that was his plan all along, and he didn't give a **** about why he was sent down that path to begin with.And I don't know how else to say it... Someone loses a daughter, mother, sister, friend, whatever, and you later find out that the guy violated his parole ("I can't get right), then escaped later? Sorry, they got ****ed over. They lost someone, then basically get a middle finger in the face from the guy that did it. So maybe he wasn't going 70 in a 35, high as a kite. So he didn't have to do any serious time. So maybe the lady did something that caused her to get hit. So maybe he isnt a nutty mass murderer. So maybe we should cut him a break. I seriously do not like what that insinuates. And I get it, our prison system is screwed up unbelievably, but I have my limits, when it comes to how certain people should be dealt with. So I very much applaud the capture of this asshole. If im reading something incorrectly, everyone feel free to point it out, but from what I read, maybe the guy just needs a foot up his ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tshile Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Let's be fair here, he was going 15 over out in the boonies somewhere, she was walking on the road he clipped her and she died. His original sentence for the voluntary manslaughter wasn't any time. So nobodies family got ****ed over. He ****ed up probation, he ****ed over probation. That's one way of being fair. Here's another: Dude killed another person with his car. Got a miracle sentence of everything suspended and he still couldn't keep on the straight and narrow for less than 2 years. When caught he broke out of jail. He then stole someone's identity and defrauded SS. Put the dude in jail. It's where he belongs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balki1867 Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 At the minimum the dude needs to serve out whatever time he had left on his prison sentence. Beyond that, he needs to be punished for escaping. I know he cleaned up his life, but inside of me, I also know there is a victim who deserves the justice that was handed out by our legal system. I hope on the latter part (the punishment for escaping), that the judge is lenient takes into consideration the fact that he turned his life around. But that can't go unpunished. Maybe he can get community service for it and counsel prisoners about how to return to the world outside of prison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerPacker Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 This harkens back to the question as to whether criminal justice is about punishment or about rehabilitation. Does locking up a 79 year old man for parole violation committed 56 accomplish anything? Don't take this to be my support of setting him free, but just something to ponder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xameil Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Some of you people really can't see the forest through the trees. Ok...let's look at the facts... Guy commits involuntary manslaughter after speeding Does his time in prison, and then is on probation. Guy breaks probation (does anyone know why? Did he not check in on time? Did he commit another crime?) Does more time in prison, and smoozes his way to minimum security. Escapes prison ( probably by waving his hand and saying "these aren't the droids you're looking for") Now he spends the next 56 years working (under a false name) and paying into the system, paying his taxes, helping his community, etc. then draws off social security...a system that he was paying into for probably 45 years. Then some officer who obviously has no unsolved murders or violent crime cold cases, or missing children to find decides to spend his time tracking down this guy, to bring this obvious hoodlum to justice...for breaking probation... So...for 56 years, this hoodlum, was NOT costing the tax payers any money...he was actually contributing to society....and from what I can tell was not causing trouble...but it was imperative to spend all time, resources and money it took to locate him...cost the tax payers more money to now house him, feed him, try him, judge him, possibly convict him for what probably was not checking in with his probation officer.... Yeah...I can see how we have to get this menace to society off the streets and this was a great way to spend resources.. :rolls eyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tshile Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 there seems to be some sort of disconnect with some of you about what probation is. "he just violated probation", as if it's a victimless crime. except he was on probationbecause he killed someone and the state decided (reasoning irrelevant) that he was worth allowing to live on the outside, by a strict set of rules, instead of being forced to live in a jail cell. and he couldn't obey by that strict set of rules for more than 2 years it's not an isolated, victimless crime. it's a lack of accountability going back to the original crime. he was helping his community? paying his taxes? whoopity ****ing doo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xameil Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Ya changed my mind...yup, let's lock him up, throw away the key, and spend all your tax dollars on housing this menace to society who has probably done more time then a 2nd degree murderer... Now where's my torch and pitchfork so we can find him and string him up Oh...and now I am glad that they spent thousands of dollars finding this hoodlum instead of finding a lost child, or a violent criminal...time well spent... Perspective is a wonderful thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tshile Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Yeah, I'm ok with spending money putting a person in jail for killing another person. Punishing someone for taking another life seems like a good place to build a foundation for society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xameil Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Yup such a worthy cause...involuntary manslaughter due to an accident in speeding. ..nothing like tracking someone down after 59 years who lives several states away...nope no money wasted there that could have been used to find a violent criminal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Yeah...I can see how we have to get this menace to society off the streets and this was a great way to spend resources.. :rolls eyes: Knew you'd come around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xameil Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Knew you'd come around Lol yup...we can't have 79 year old probabtion violating thugs walking the streets when there are unsolved violent murderers out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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