Watch CBS News

Fugitive on lam since 1959 waives extradition

ORLANDO, Florida - A fugitive who had been on the lam since walking away from a prison farm in 1959 won't fight his extradition back to Ohio after his arrest in Florida.

Authorities along Florida's Space Coast said Wednesday that 79-year-old Frank Freshwaters had waived his right to formal extradition proceedings and won't resist efforts to return him to Ohio, more than 50 years after he fled.

Freshwaters was arrested Monday about a week after sheriff's deputies used a ruse to get his fingerprints, which matched those from his decades-old arrest. He was being held without bond.

He originally pleaded guilty to manslaughter for a motor vehicle accident that killed a pedestrian back in 1957.

Major Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office says jail officials are awaiting word from Ohio authorities on when and how Freshwaters will be transported back to the Buckeye state.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.