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Fugitive from Oregon caught 12 years later
A man on the run for more than a decade is now in jail after detectives found him living in St. Petersburg. FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis shares some body cam footage from the moment his life turned upside down.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A man who detectives say spent more than a decade on the run is now behind bars, after being found living quietly in St. Petersburg under a fake name.
What we know:
Investigators with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office located Joseph Davis earlier this month and arrested him.
Davis had been hiding out in Pinellas County, in plain sight, going by the name "Mark Brown", according to what he told investigators when they arrested him.
For five years, he lived with a girlfriend who had no idea who he really was.
Dig deeper:
He explained everything to her and to detectives, and it was all captured on body camera.
"I'm sorry… I put you through all this," he said to his girlfriend, who appeared visibly stunned.
Davis admitted the truth: their entire relationship had been built on a lie.
The backstory:
FOX 13 first reported on Davis in 2021, when investigators in Volusia County were searching for him on grand theft charges.
Detectives say he stole a ring worth more than $6,000 from one girlfriend, then used it to propose to another.
Eventually, both women discovered the deception and reported it, but by then, Davis and the ring had vanished.
Timeline:
Authorities say that wasn’t his only crime.
He also faces aggravated stalking charges stemming from threatening phone calls the women reported he made after he left town.
His true identity was a mystery. He had given the women fake names.
Eventually, investigators identified him as a fugitive from Oregon. He had been wanted there since 2014 for a hit-and-run crash causing injuries.
What they're saying:
Davis told investigators he managed to stay off the radar by keeping an extremely low profile.
"I don't get no mail… I’m on the run. I don’t get no mail."
He said he didn’t drive, worked odd jobs as a mechanic, even interacted with police, using his fake name.
Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
"Have you had to give your name to a police officer?" asked one investigator. "Yeah… I gave Mark Brown. That’s all I gave him," said Davis.
Davis’ girlfriend appears stunned as detectives reveal the truth.
"I feel like you're not as shocked as you should be," the detective asked. "I am… but I… I’m going to be sick," she said.
Big picture view:
She said she didn’t know how she was going to explain this to her son, who had lived with Davis for five years. She also said Davis had been a good role model.
Davis also admitted he always knew this day would come.
"I knew my destiny was coming one day," he said.
Davis asked investigators how they found him after all this time, and they told him they couldn't share that information.
What's next:
Davis is no longer in Pinellas County.
He was taken to the Volusia County Jail, where he will face charges tied to the theft case.
The sheriff’s office there said the victims have now been notified of his arrest.
Davis declined an interview with FOX 13 while in custody in Pinellas County.
What we don't know:
Pinellas County detectives couldn't tell Davis how they caught him, only that it was an investigative lead.
The Source: Body camera video obtained by FOX13 from the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office, booking information, reports from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, media coverage from Washington County, Oregon and previous reporting.