Disgraced New York politician found limping by Ohio roadside 23 years after fleeing justice

The former politician disappeared when he was sentenced for selling pistols without a permit

William Jones, formerly a politician in Cayuga County, New York. He went on the run in 1997 to avoid going to prison for selling pistols illegally. (Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office)

A New York politician who fled the state in 1997 to avoid a jail sentence was found limping along an Ohio road and using a false identity.  

William Jones, formerly a Cayuga County town supervisor, was found by a police officer in Waverly, Ohio, and gave him a ride to a hospital to treat his leg. When Mr Jones did not provide identification, the officer became suspicious and discovered his true identity.  

Mr Jones, 71, was convicted 23 years ago for illegally selling eight handguns after his permit to do so was suspended by a judge. While he was out of prison on $20,000 bail and awaiting sentencing, he fled New York.  

It was not his first time fleeing a prison sentence; in 1996, he was convicted on charges of misconduct while in office and fled while awaiting his sentencing trial. He eventually gave himself up to authorities a month later.  

After his first conviction, a Cayuga County judge suspended Mr Jones' pistol permit. 

Rather than handing over his weapons, Mr Jones decided to sell them illegally, according to authorities.  

After he was caught selling the pistols he was charged with the criminal sale of a firearm, which is a felony punishable by a short stint in prison.  

During that bail period Mr Jones fled, this time with more success than his first attempt.  

He managed to lay low for more than two decades before the officer discovered him on the side of the road.  

Mr Jones is currently being held in jail in Butler County, Ohio, and is awaiting extradition to New York.  

Why he was limping — and what he did while he was on the run — are currently unknown.