A rapist hiding for 34 years has at last been found, reported the CS Monitor this Thursday, March 28, 2013. The Massachusetts man who disappeared before his sentencing for three rapes nearly 35 years ago has now been arrested in Maine.
Under the headline, “Rapist 34 years: Convicted fugitive found in Maine”, the Monitor notes that Gary Allen Irving had married, started a family, and begun an entirely new life while living under a new name just outside Portland, confirmed police officials this Thursday.
Irving had begun to work as a telephone installer, and lived under the name Gregg Irving when he was found and charged this week by state police.
“He was surprised to find law enforcement on his front door,” Maine State Police Sgt. Robert Burke said this Thursday. Maine police didn’t reveal what sources led authorities to Irving.
Irving, age 52, has actually been on the Top 10 Most Wanted list for years after his escape from a sentencing of three rapes. The rapist 34 years headline came as a result of Irving being found due to a tip from an unknown source; he is now also being charged with being a felon that has possession of firearms as well as being a fugitive of justice.
“They certainly blended into the community,” said Gorham Police Lt. Christopher Sanborn on Irving and his wife.
The couple have one adult son and a daughter now in her 20s, as well as a young granddaughter.
“As far as I can see, he lived an ordinary life in a middle-class suburb,” another officer noted.
The local jail in which Irving is being held has not yet released information on whether the convicted rapist has hired an attorney.