POLK COUNTY, Fl. – An Indiana couple accused of taking off following a 2003 arraignment for gun and drug charges have been arrested in Florida, 15 years later.
52-year-old Derrick Holman and 48-year-old Michele Cox, originally of Putnam County, were arrested Wednesday in Polk County, Florida after police said they assumed new identities while on the run.
Police said they obtained Tennessee driver licenses under the names of Eric Brewer and Mechele Green, using their personal information.
“Eric Brewer actually lives in Indiana in Montgomery County and he had been looking over his credit report and saw these properties in Florida,” Putnam County Detective Doug Nally said.
Brewer never owned the properties in Florida and contacted Putnam County authorities. They tipped off Polk County, who made the arrests following an investigation.
“The two fugitives from justice assumed new identities here in Florida to avoid capture. In the end, they wound up with a lot of felonies, and a paid one-way ticket back to Indiana,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Authorities also arrested Holman’s brother Mark and Nathan Olsen for allegedly helping to conceal their identities.
Cox is charged with Aggravated White Collar Crime of $50,000 or more (F-1), Use of ID of Another without consent for $50,000 or more (F-1), Obtain Property by Fraud > $50,000 (F-1), Forgery (F-3), Bringing into State Forged Documents (F-3, 2-counts), Uttering (F-3, 2-counts), False Statement on MV Insurance (F-3), and Filing False Documents for Property (F-3, 2-counts).
Derrick Holman is charged with Aggravated White Collar Crime of $50,000 or more (F-1), Use of ID of Another without consent for $50,000 or more (F-1), Obtain Property by Fraud > $50,000 (F-1), False Statement on MV Insurance (F-3), False Proof of MV Insurance (F-3), and Forgery (F-3).
Indiana plans to extradite both of them back to face their original 2003 charges.
