(FORT MYERS, Fla.) — A man who escaped a Puerto Rican prison nearly 40 years ago was taken into custody in Florida, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Jorge Milla-Valdes escaped from a Puerto Rican prison in 1987. The Puerto Rico Department of Justice believed he was living under the name Luis Aguirre.
His criminal history included robbery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in Florida’s Monroe County, according to the sheriff’s office.
The LCSO Fugitive Warrants Unit searched for Milla-Valdes and obtained the original 1986 fingerprints from Puerto Rico, and a set from his criminal history in Monroe County.
“Latent Fingerprints Supervisor Tina Carver expedited the fingerprint comparison. 15-minutes later -and using finger prints that were taken over 40 years ago- Supervisor Carver was able to match the prints, and confirm that Aguirre and Milla-Valdes was the same individual who had escaped,” the sheriff’s office said.
The fugitives unit was informed of the match and Milla-Valdes was taken into custody two hours later in Ft. Myers Shores, according to the sheriff’s office.
“They don’t want me. They told me about two times,” Milla-Valdes told officers as he was taken into custody, police bodycam footage shows.
“Now they do. They changed their mind,” an arresting officer responded.
The sheriff applauded his unit’s fast response.
“My team’s skill is unmatched at every level; even if your crimes don’t start here in Lee County, I promise, they WILL end here,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a statement.
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