A 71-year-old convicted rapist who has been on the run for 30 years has been arrested after being pulled over by Iowa highway patrol officers for violating a simple law.
George Hartleroad was pulled over by officers in West Des Moines in June because his bicycle did not have a rear reflector.
Video shows the bearded fugitive identifying himself as “Gregory Stallins” and telling the officer he was a homeless man who had lived in Iowa since 1991. When officers asked for his ID, he told the officer he had lived in Iowa since 1991.
But because the officer suspected something was wrong, he realized that the person behind Hartleroad’s false alias was dead. About 30 minutes later, he found him again and began questioning him further.
George Hartleroad, 71, a convicted rapist who has been on the run for 30 years, has been arrested after being pulled over by Iowa highway patrol officers for not having a reflector on his bicycle
“I don’t want to arrest you for stopping without a reflector because like I told you, I stop people to let them know that I don’t want it to be your fault if you get hit. But if I can’t verify who you are and the information that you gave me, it’s not going to help anyone,” the officer told Hartleroad.
“It actually comes back to other people. That’s a bigger problem,” the officer added.
In the video, the officer then asks the fugitive if there are any warrants for his arrest and wants to see his driver’s license.
But Hartleroad stands by his claim that he is Stallins and that he “hasn’t had a driver’s license in years.”
Video shows the bearded fugitive identifying himself as “Gregory Stallins” and telling the officer he is a homeless man who has lived in Iowa since 1991
During questioning, Hartleroad continues to maintain that he does indeed have a false alias and that he “hasn’t had a driver’s license in years.”
The agent eventually reveals that he knows Stallinsis is dead and warns Hartleroad that he must tell the truth about his identity.
“Time to be honest with me, okay? So, the info you gave me is coming back to a dead man. Gregory Stallins is dead,” the officer can be heard saying ominously.
But Hartleroad refuses to reveal his true identity, insisting he is Stallins.
“You’re Gregory, you’re just not dead?” the bewildered officer asks.
“I’m not dead,” Hartleroad replies.
At one point the officer came asks He is forced to remove his hat and glasses so he can take a photo for facial recognition, at which point the fugitive admits his true identity.
The agent then learned that he had been wanted by authorities in Wisconsin since 1994 after he escaped from a shelter.
“Time to be honest with me, okay? So, the info you gave me is coming back to a dead man. Gregory Stallins is dead,” the officer can be heard saying ominously.
According to the New York PostHartleroad was convicted of rape in 1983 and sentenced to five years in prison.
As officers arrest him, he can be heard saying, “I’ll jump back in as soon as they let me out. They’ve been up my ass for 41 years, now with a 9-year sentence.”
According to jail records, Hartleroad is currently in the Dane County Jail in Madison, Wisconsin.
