UK Fugitive Since 1993 Became Missouri Cable Guy

'Fast Eddie' Maher, alleged thief, caught after 19 years
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2012 10:08 AM CST
UK Fugitive Since 1993 Became Missouri Cable Guy
Vehicles are parked outside of a rental townhouse where English fugitive Edward John Maher lived in Ozark, Mo., Thursday, February 9, 2012.   (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Nearly two decades ago in England, one "Fast Eddie" Maher allegedly stole an armored car packed with $1.6 million in coins and bills. Now Edward John Maher has finally been caught—in a Missouri town, where he was working as a cable guy, the Kansas City Star reports. Maher worked at an armored-car company and stole the loot during a delivery, police say; he's become a legend of sorts in Britain, with one newspaper guessing last year that he'd never be found.

But Maher turned up at a police station in Missouri. He came to post bail for his son in a separate case; he also reported one of his guns stolen. The officer who assisted him said something that apparently made Maher think his cover was blown; his son says he left the station "irate." Police put his house under surveillance and ultimately arrested him for illegal weapons possession. His adult son was, it seems, completely unaware of his father's status. He said the family had moved frequently for years; he believed it was because of his father's job, and called his dad "one of the nicest guys you’ll meet." Neighbors agreed. Click through for the rest of the wild story. (More Missouri stories.)

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