Iowa man arrested in Spanaway after eluding police for nearly 6 years

After nearly six years on the run, an Iowa man who faked his own death and fled the state to avoid trial on child pornography charges is back in custody. 

According to a press release from U.S. Marshals in the Southern District of Iowa, 28-year-old Jacob Greer was found and arrested in Spanaway. Authorities say Greer is currently at the Federal Detention Center in Seattle and will be brought to Des Moines, Iowa to stand trial.

The U.S. Marshals in the Southern District of Iowa collaborated with U.S. Marshals Montana Violent Offender Task Force, and U.S. Marshals in the Western District of Washington to find Greer. 

"The arrest of Jacob Greer after six years is a testament to the tenacity of Deputy U.S. Marshals and our investigative partners," said U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Iowa Ted Kamatchus. "Even though the case went cold, they would not quit."

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In April 2016, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Greer on charges of receipt and possession of child pornography. He was released on bond the next day, and was placed on house arrest – living with his grandmother in Iowa. 

On May 31, 2016, authorities received notification that Greer removed his ankle monitor, which started a multi agency search. Authorities found Greer’s car with a suicide note inside, but they did not find his body. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Greer that day.

In June 2016, the U.S. Forestry Service found another car associated with Greer in a campground in Flathead, Montana. Though Greer was nowhere to be found, Investigators discovered Greer had purchased the car with a $1,000 loan from a friend and that he had fled Iowa with money, a bow, arrows and a backpack full of survival gear.  

Before Greer’s capture in Spanaway, the last time he was seen on record was at a Walmart in Kalispell, Montana. 

Investigators learned Greer was a survivalist and had plans to live off the land in remote areas of the upper western states or southern Canada, hiding in abandoned cabins. 

According to local authorities, investigators learned that Greer was staying in Spanaway, conducted surveillance in the area, and were able to locate and arrest him without incident. 

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