Oregon Fugitive On Run For 20 Years Was Using Dead Child's Identity, Arrested In Georgia

An Oregon fugitive who evaded authorities for over two decades by using a deceased child's identity has been arrested. Steven Craig Johnson, 70-year-old, was detained earlier this week by a US Marshals Service regional task force at an apartment complex in Macon, Georgia, more than 2,500 miles away from Salem, Oregon, where he had been serving a state prison sentence for multiple sex crimes.

Johnson had been living and working in Macon under the alias William Cox, the identity of a Texas child who died in January 1962. According to a news release, he managed to obtain a copy of the deceased child's birth certificate and eventually secured a social security number under that name.

The US Marshals Service had been searching for Johnson for nearly a decade. They attributed his capture to the development of new investigative technology in the past year, which allowed them to locate and arrest him.

Johnson is set to return to Oregon, the state he fled from in November 1994. He escaped from a work crew at Mill Creek Correctional Facility, where he was serving time for sexual abuse and sodomy.

The Oregon Department of Corrections described Johnson as a “pedophile” who “presents a high probability of victimizing pre-teen boys.” He had been serving a 30-year sentence and had completed just over five years when he escaped. Johnson still has approximately 11 years remaining on his sentence.

He is currently being held at Bibb County Jail in Macon, awaiting extradition back to Oregon.

The Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) conducts reviews of all escaped inmates to determine the threat level based on the severity of their felony charges and the remaining time on their sentences. Those with the “highest degrees of crime” are placed on the "most wanted" list.

Since 2012, the ODOC has apprehended 38 fugitives and currently has six escapees, including Johnson, on its "most wanted" list.