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Clarence David Moore, 66, called the sheriff's department earlier
this week in Franklin County, Kentucky, where he had been living
under an alias for years, Sheriff Pat Melton said.
The detective who received his call initially thought it was a
prank, then realized he was telling the truth, Melton said.
Melton and a deputy found Moore lying in a medical bed in his house.
Moore had been convicted on larceny charges, according to North
Carolina prison records. Before his disappearance in 1976, he made
two prior escapes - the second of which saw him at-large for nearly
three years before he was captured in Texas.
He is expected to return to the North Carolina state prison system
in the coming days, where a parole commission will review his case
to determine what happens next, said a spokesman for the North
Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Moore was also wanted locally in Kentucky for failing to appear in
court after a more recent traffic crash, Melton said.
"He was very forthcoming. He was ready," said Melton in a phone
interview, noting that Moore had become paralyzed on his right side
after a stroke and suffered other health issues.
He said it appeared that Moore could not afford medical care and
could not apply for assistance without identification.
Moore was booked at the Franklin County Regional Jail, but he is
expected to return soon to North Carolina, Melton said.
"When I took him into the jail with the ambulance crew, he looked at
me and said, 'Sheriff Melton, thank you for being nice to me,'" said
Melton.
(Reporting by Letitia Stein in Tampa, Fla.; Editing by Eric Beech)
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