A fugitive wanted on outstanding escape charges has been arrested by deputy U.S. marshals in Gardnerville, Nevada. Gardnerville is a small town about sixty (60) miles south of Reno.
Robert Charles Johnson, Date of Birth November 12, 1950, was being sought on both an administrative arrest warrant issued by the Department of Corrections, and a felony Escape warrant issued in Fremont County. On September 14, 1973, Johnson was found guilty of 2nd Degree Murder in the El Paso County District Court, Fourth Judicial District, and sentenced to not less than ten (10) years, or more than fifteen (15) years in the Colorado Department of Corrections. On April 22, 1975, Johnson escaped from medium security at the Colorado State Penitentiary, Fremont Correctional Facility, in Cañon City. In 2001, the Colorado Department of Corrections requested the assistance of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and the Fugitive Location and Apprehension Group (FLAG) Task Force. In September 2007, the USMS declared Johnson a Major Case.
Johnson’s thirty-two (32) years on the run ended at approximately 8 p.m. on September 24, 2007. A team of deputy U.S. marshals from the District of Nevada arrested Johnson at his home at 1376 Kimmerling Road, Unit B, Gardnerville, NV 89460, where he had been living under an assumed identity with a female. Deputy U.S. Marshals from both the Reno and Las Vegas offices were acting on a lead sent by deputies assigned to the FLAG Task Force in Denver. Johnson is currently being held in the Douglas County Jail in Nevada pending extradition.
Annually, investigations carried out by the U.S. Marshals result in the apprehension of approximately 34,000 federal fugitives. More federal fugitives are arrested by Marshals than all other federal agencies combined.
The FLAG Task Force is a team comprised of law enforcement officers from The U.S. Marshals Service, Denver and Aurora Police Departments, the Colorado Department of Corrections, and the Arapahoe, Jefferson, and Douglas County Sheriff’s Offices. This investigation was the direct result of cooperation between the Department of Corrections, Office of the Inspector General, and the United States Marshals Service. The task force objective is to seek out and arrest high profile fugitives wanted for crimes of violence and serious narcotics offenses. Last year, USMS task forces arrested more than 27,000 state and local fugitives on felony charges.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
