Authorities have captured Steven Craig Johnson, who escaped from an Oregon state prison nearly 30 years ago and assumed the identity of a deceased child. Johnson, 70, was arrested at an apartment complex in Macon, Georgia, on Tuesday by the US Marshals Service and its fugitive task forces. He had been living under the name William Cox since 2011.
Background and escape
Johnson was convicted of sexual abuse charges and escaped from a prison work detail at Mill Creek Correctional Facility in Salem, Oregon, on November 29, 1994. He had been in custody since June 1989. After his escape, Johnson stole the identity of a child who died in Texas in 1962, using it to obtain a Social Security number and a Georgia driver’s license.
The US Marshals Service adopted the case in 2015 at the request of the Oregon Department of Corrections. New investigative technology from the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service provided leads that culminated in Johnson’s arrest. Details on the technology used were not disclosed.
Johnson was booked into Georgia’s Bibb County jail and awaits extradition to Oregon. It is unclear if he has legal representation.
Notorious fugitive
Johnson was listed as one of Oregon’s most wanted fugitives. A 2019 wanted poster warned that he “is a pedophile and presents a high probability of victimizing pre-teen boys” and advised against allowing him contact with children.
Mill Creek Correctional Facility, where Johnson escaped, was closed in 2021 as part of sentencing reform efforts by then-Governor Kate Brown. The closure, aimed at saving the state over $44 million, was part of a broader initiative to reduce reliance on incarceration and invest in preventative measures.
Mill Creek, originally opened in 1929, was a minimum-security prison that housed approximately 290 inmates on 2,089 unfenced acres. It was part of Oregon’s prison system until its closure as part of the state’s efforts to reform its criminal justice system and reduce prison populations.