Rochester Prison Escapee Captured in Vegas
Las Vegas, NV (KROC-AM News) - A facial recognition system used by the Department of Motor Vehicles in Nevada led to the recent capture of a man who escaped from the Federal Medical Center in Rochester in 1992.
The Nevada DMV Compliance Enforcement Division says 64-year-old Robert Frederick Nelson applied for a renewal of his Nevada ID card on June 5th when the facial recognition system alerted that the same person previously held a Nevada driver’s license in the name of Craig Paulter. Officials say investigators then learned the man had a string of felony convictions under both names and was wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service on a fugitive warrant issued following his escape from the FMC, where he had been serving time for a counterfeiting conviction in the 1980s.
Investigators say Nelson then traveled to Nevada and began committing a series of violent crimes using the Paulter identity, including an escape from a Nevada holding facility. He began using his real name again about 10 years ago and was able to obtain a Nevada ID as Robert Nelson in 2013.
A news release says the State of Nevada agreed to drop all of its charges against Nelson to expedite his return to federal custody, which occurred on July 3rd.
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