AZ Fugitive Arrested in NM

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Phoenix FBI Special Agent in Charge John E. Lewis announced the successful arrest of fugitive William Pumphrey, age 50, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Pumphrey faces one federal charge of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution and is wanted locally in Bullhead City on charges of theft, theft of a means of transportation and fraud. Pumphrey was arrested without incident in the early morning hours of March 23, 2007, in Albuquerque. He was in the company of his young son, Joshua. Arresting agents were acting on at tip relayed to FBI Albuquerque by America's Most Wanted, which had featured Pumphrey on the television show. Members of the Albuquerque Division's Violent Crime Squad quickly began to evaluate and act on the information provided. Albuquerque FBI Agents worked throughout the evening developing additional leads in an effort to locate Pumphrey. During the early morning hours of March 23, 2007, Albuquerque FBI agents were able to pinpoint that Pumphrey "was on the move" and had temporarily relocated to a local motel in the Albuquerque area, where he was eventually taken into custody without incident. Joshua Pumphrey, age 4, was turned over to Health and Social Services officials pending the arrival of his mother from Wyoming. The underlying charges stem from alleged criminal conduct in Mohave County, Arizona. Approximately two months ago, Pumphrey appeared in Bullhead City, Arizona without any apparent past connection to the city. Pumphrey went to a transient facility in Bullhead City with a 4-year-old Joshua. The transient center allowed Pumphrey and Joshua to stay for a few days, but then referred them to a second facility in Bullhead City. There, Pumphrey claimed to be an ex-bishop with a Mormon church in Salt Lake City and was allowed a place to stay in exchange for doing odd jobs. Pumphrey worked at this second facility for approximately five weeks, until February 20, 2007. On that date, an individual associated with that facility gave Pumphrey bank deposits and keys to a vehicle requesting Pumphrey to deposit the funds at an area bank. This was the last contact anyone at this facility had with Pumphrey and Joshua. On February 23, 2007, the vehicle loaned to Pumphrey for the purpose of going to the bank was recovered in the parking lot of a pet store in Kingman, Arizona, which is located approximately one hour east of Bullhead City. The FBI in Phoenix and Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Police Department, the Bullhead City Police Department and America's Most Wanted worked cooperatively on this manhunt. The elder Pumphrey could have an initial appearance in federal court in New Mexico, however no such hearing has been set. He faces extradition to Mohave County, Arizona. The federal UFAP charge, a violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 1073, may be dismissed at some point, as it is often an avenue for federal agents to locate and apprehend fugitives. A criminal charge is an accusation only, and that guilt or innocence will be determined at a later date in a court of law. No assumption of guilt can be drawn pending such an outcome.