The Looong Arm of the Law
Robert Evans, 76, applied for a special license in Deltona, Fla. He submitted his fingerprints and underwent background checks by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI.
When the fingerprint and background checks came back, they didn't match anyone named Robert Evans. They were, however, a match for Robert Dawson, wanted on a 20-year-old warrant out of Texas. Licensing officials in Tallahassee called the Texas Department of Justice and the two agencies shared photos, according to Sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught. So much time had passed that the photos were difficult to compare, and Volusia County sheriffs deputies went to the suspect's home in Deltona to try to determine if he was the wanted man, Haught said.
Evans denied that he was Dawson, but after the FBI also confirmed he was indeed Robert Dawson, he admitted his real name and was taken into custody on May 10. He is being held in Volusia County Jail awaiting extradition back to Texas.
Dawson has been living under the name "Robert Evans" for the last 20 years, since absconding from supervised probation connected to a burglary charge in Texas in 1990.
Why it didn't occur to him that a fingerprint check would reveal his true identity we don't know. But we do know what he was applying for: a Florida state security guard license.
And really, just look at him: wouldn't you feel safe with him guarding your security?
Source: Orlando Sentinel
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Most Recent Comments
Posted by Jeff, Northern California on May 23, 2010:
Not that I object to removing child predators from circulation, but... if the officer goes online pretending to be under 18 and then entices another user into a sexual chat and eventually into meeting in person for illicit purposes, isn't that officer guilty of entrapment? My understanding of entrapment is that it is luring someone into committing a crime that they may not have otherwise committed. This would seem to fit that description to a 'T'.
Posted by Bob in Illinois on May 24, 2010:
I am so sorry and embarrassed that someone, anyone and now two people from Illinois couldn't understand the "Fits Him to a T" article, aside from being off topic here. But Yes Jeff, Northern California it does border on entrapment and that is the main reason they don't get very many convictions for it. On the special "To Catch a Predators" some states threw out most if not all of the cases and some only got convictions for other things unrelated to the actual "predatory" act.
Yeah, there is a long arm the law has, but it would be interesting to see if they actually extradite him back to Texas. Knowing how hard Texas is on people they may very well do it. Most states will consider the cost and if it's not worth it they just dismiss it. Like if his sentencing is for only a short period of time and then given his age may also play a factor. They actually have to send somebody after him and that costs money, on the other hand if they have several others they have to pick up then they would include him or if Texas has someone that Florida wants badly they could do a prisoner exchange.
As far as the identity theft that you mention Randy, they would have to show that he was actually using someone else's identification. Just because he was going by a different name does not make it identity theft, there are people that do that all the time for many reasons that has nothing to do with identity theft. He also may have been living an otherwise honest life.
Posted by Mike from Dallas on June 3, 2010:
And really, just look at him: wouldn't you feel safe with him guarding your security?
Absolutely. I say that TSA should snatch him up right away. He'd be perfect for the job. And I already feel safer with THEM on the job, you know.