A convicted Pinellas County sex offender was arrested in Indiana on Thursday after staging his own death and evading law enforcement for 16 years.
According to a release from the U.S. Marshals Office of Middle Florida, 76-year-old Gary W. Howard was convicted of 22 counts of possession of child pornography in 2010. However, Howard absconded from Florida State Probation and was never seen by law enforcement again – until now.
Howard Staged His Death to Appear as Suicide
The release said that an Enterprise rental vehicle belonging to Howard was discovered near Mauzy Lake in Kentucky. Officials believe this was a deliberate attempt by Howard to stage his own death to appear as a suicide.
According to the report, subsequent evidence backed this claim, revealing that the act was premeditated and a ploy to mislead law enforcement.
Howard’s Relative were Helping Him Stay Off Grid, Investigators Spotted Him Exiting a Residence While Under Surveillance
Further investigation revealed that Howard had relatives in the Indianapolis, Indiana, area whom he could depend on to help him stay off the grid. Working closely with the U.S. Marshals Service Western District of Kentucky and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, law enforcement was able to perform surveillance and interviews, which resulted in an admission to the whereabouts of Howard.
The release said that Howard was determined to be in a location already under surveillance and was seen exiting a residence. While standing on the front porch, the U.S. Marshals Service was able to move in and arrest Howard without incident
Upon arrest, the release said that Howard told authorities, “I had hoped to be dead before you caught up with me.” Howard will be extradited to Florida, where he will face possible imprisonment for violation of probation, and possibly 32 charges for failure to register as a sex offender. He will also be facing a prosecution in Indiana as well.
