A man who faked his own death six years ago to avoid a trial on child pornography charges has been arrested.
Jacob Greer, 28, was taken into custody Monday by U.S. Marshals in Spanaway, Washington, about an hour south of Seattle.
Greer was initially arrested in April 2016 on charges of receipt and possession of child pornography. He was released on bond with an ankle monitor and was living with his grandmother in Des Moines, Iowa while awaiting trial.
On May 31, 2016, authorities received a monitoring alert indicating Greer's GPS device had been removed. A search led officers to Greer's vehicle, where they found an apparent suicide note. However, searchers did not find Greer's body. A federal arrest warrant for Greer was issued that day.
Greer was last seen at a Wal-Mart in Kalispell, Montana, on June 3, 2016, wearing a camouflage hat, authorities said.
Investigators described Greer as a survivalist on the run. They said he purchased a car with a $1,000 loan from a friend and fled Iowa with money, a bow and arrows, and a backpack full of survival gear. That car was later found abandoned at the Tuchuck Campground in Flathead, Montana on June 8, 2016.
Investigators said Greer's plan was to live off the land in remote areas of the upper western states or southern Canada, hiding out in abandoned cabins. It's not clear where Greer was living when he was arrested.
It's also not clear how authorities learned of Greer's location to make an arrest.
"The arrest of Jacob Greer after six years is a testament to the tenacity of Deputy U.S. Marshals and our investigative partners," Ted Kamatchus, U.S. Marshal, said in a statement. "Even though the case went cold, they would not quit."
Greer is currently at the Federal Detention Center in Seattle and will be brought to Des Moines to stand trial.
Related
Related
