A fugitive who has been wanted for more than ten years after an incident in Ohio was finally captured in West Virginia.
On May 20, 1996, Joe Atkinson, 45, and an accomplice burglarized a home in Westerville, according to authorities. Officials say once inside, Atkinson and his accomplice tied up two men before Atkinson physically assaulted a woman and his accomplice tried to rape another woman.
According to U.S. Marshals, one of the men tied up was able to get free, causing Atkinson and his partner to leave the scene.
Atkinson was admitted to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction on September 18, 1996. He was serving an eight to 15 year sentence for a conviction of felonious assault when he was paroled to the State of West Virginia on June 10, 2003, according to authorities. U.S. Marshals say Atkinson secretly took off and was declared a violator-at-large on September 7, 2005.
Atkinson was tracked back to Ripley, West Virginia near his hometown of Charleston.
