An individual who allegedly evaded authorities for over 40 years by living under a false identity was recently apprehended after a significant oversight exposed him.
Stephen Craig Campbell, a resident of Wyoming now aged 76, was initially arrested in 1982 due to accusations of setting off a bomb that injured his ‘estranged’ wife, as reported by the Department of Justice.
He faced charges of attempted first-degree murder after allegedly placing the explosive device in a toolbox outside his wife’s boyfriend’s residence in Wyoming.
The explosion occurred when she opened the toolbox, resulting in the loss of one of her fingers, and the blast ignited fires at both the boyfriend’s house and a neighboring property.
After being taken into custody and released on bond in 1983, Campbell seemingly disappeared without a trace.
He failed to appear in court and subsequently was designated as a target by the US Marshals Most Wanted list.
Authorities finally located Campbell in New Mexico on February 19 this year, following increasing doubts about his identity.
According to court documents, Campbell is accused of adopting the identity of Walter Lee Coffman, a deceased classmate who died in a car accident in 1975 at the age of 22, and illegally acquiring significant government benefits.
Both Campbell and Coffman were engineering students at the University of Arkansas and graduated two months before Coffman’s untimely death.
The DOJ indicates a ‘likely connection’ between the two individuals based on these findings.
Records reveal Campbell applied for a passport in Coffman’s name in 1984, renewing it multiple times over the following decades using his own photographs and addresses.
In 1995, a decade after the initial passport application, Campbell acquired a Social Security card under Coffman’s name using an Oklahoma driver’s license, further committing identity fraud, according to law enforcement.
In 2003, he allegedly bought property in Weed under Coffman’s identity and renewed his passport in both 2005 and 2015.
His facade began to unravel in 2019 when he purportedly presented a series of fraudulent documents to the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department in Cloudcroft to renew his driver’s license.
Despite being granted the license, agents from the National Passport Center’s Fraud Prevention Unit became suspicious after uncovering records of Coffman’s actual death.
The investigation revealed Campbell’s alleged series of deceptive activities using Coffman’s name, including collecting $140,000 in Social Security retirement benefits.
When discovered, law enforcement raided Campbell’s 44-acre property on February 19, where he reportedly resisted arrest by hiding with a rifle.
Officers used flashbang stun devices to coax him into surrendering, and FBI agents found his weapon was loaded with high-powered ammunition capable of piercing body armor.
A search of his residence revealed 57 firearms and a large stockpile of ammunition, which he was legally barred from possessing, according to the DOJ.
Jason Mower, spokesperson for the SCSO, remarked: “Campbell’s wanted poster has been on the wall at our office since I started here nearly 20 years ago. I’ve worked hundreds of fugitive cases, helping track down and capture fugitives all across the country. But never Campbell – every lead went cold, no matter what tools we used. Now, I finally understand why.”
Campbell faces charges of passport misuse, carrying a potential 10-year prison sentence, before standing trial for the initial 1982 offense.
Authorities are also considering further charges related to the weapons found in his possession.