Fugitive on the lam for 17 years captured; tricked wife, children with fake identity, police say

A South Carolina man on authorities' "most wanted" list was captured Tuesday in Detroit after 17 years of hiding in plain sight, according to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.

"During the arrest, his son and wife were there. We asked him on the side, 'hey, does your wife and kid know your true identity,' and he actually expressed to us that they didn't," Deputy U.S. Marshal Gregory Yan told WJBK.

"Maybe if he would have just 'fessed up to this years ago, he would have been out by now and had nothing to worry about, wouldn't have had to lie to his family for so long."

Yan added that Hall "almost seemed relieved" when he was captured.

"After 17 years on the run, the perseverance, dedication and teamwork of our agencies resulted in the apprehension of one of Anderson County’s Most Wanted fugitives," U.S. Marshal of the District of South Carolina Chrissie Latimore said in a statement acquired by Fox News Digital.

Antran Hall was originally found guilty in absentia for cocaine trafficking and failure to stop for blue lights in 2006, according to ACSO's press release posted to Facebook.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Yan told WBTK that Hall "bounced from the trial" about halfway through it, and since then, had been "in the wind."

Earlier this year, detectives from Anderson County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Investigations Unit unearthed information about Hall using an alias in Detroit, Michigan, the release also said.

A fingerprint match that stemmed from a traffic infraction in Detroit was what gave him away, according to WJBK. He had been using the alias Calhoun Walton and lived in a home near Seven Mile and Lahser.

U.S. Marshals, looking further into the lead and narrowing their search, took Hall into custody June 27, the release says.

"The investigation shows Hall lived under a fake identity, even tricking his own wife and children that only knew him by his alias name."

Hall was inside the Wayne County Detention Center in Michigan awaiting extradition to South Carolina as of Thursday.

Watch coverage from WJBK below of the capture of Antran Hall, also known as Calhoun Walton, who evaded capture for 17 years after fleeing from South Carolina to Detroit, Michigan, even fooling his wife and child.

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