40 years after escape, SC inmate captured using fake name in another state, officials say
A man who had been on the run for 40 years after escaping from a South Carolina prison was captured on New Year’s Day, the Department of Corrections said.
Jose Chico Romero escaped from a work crew on Dec. 13, 1979, the Department of Corrections said in a news release.
After a Dec. 28 encounter with police in Dover, Delaware, it was discovered the 64-year-old was living under a false name, according to the release.
“He was loitering and drunk in an establishment,” Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said in a news conference. “We’re relieved he’s been caught and glad he’ll be returned to finish his sentence.”
Romero gave police a fake identification card and was arrested, processed and released under the name Arnaldo Figueroa, the Department of Corrections said.
But a search of Figueroa’s fingerprints showed he really is Romero, and he was again arrested on Jan. 1, according to the release.
He was possibly living as a homeless person, according to Stirling.
When Romero escaped from a work crew in Anderson County, where he was locked up in the former Anderson County Stockade, he was serving an 18-year sentence for an armed robbery conviction in Aiken County, prison officials said.
“For 40 years he’s been on the run,” Stirling said. “No matter how long you’re gone, we’re not going to stop looking for you. You’re going to have to look over your shoulder. ... It doesn’t matter where you go, we’re going to find you and bring you back to justice.”
Romero’s currently being held in Georgetown, Delaware, but will be returned to South Carolina, according to the release.
Prison officials said once Romero is returned to South Carolina, he’ll be required to serve the remainder of his original sentence, which is about seven years, plus any additional time added for an escape conviction.
Stirling said that could be an extra 10-15 years behind bars for Romero.
An arrest warrant was issued for Romero in 1979 after the escape and spokeswoman Chrysti Shain told The State the Department of Corrections is “absolutely pursuing charges,” and will push for them to be prosecuted.
There is no timeline set for Romero’s extradition to South Carolina, and the local charges in Delaware will have to be dealt with first, Shain said.
Romero is also facing charges for public intoxication, loitering, third-degree criminal trespassing, second-degree forgery (four counts), criminal impersonation and being an out-of-state fugitive, according to the release.
When he is returned to South Carolina, he’ll be locked up at Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia, Shain said. The men’s-only, high-security prison is where all new and returned inmates are held while it’s determined where they will be incarcerated.
“Our folks worked tirelessly,” Stirling said.
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This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 1:33 PM.
