TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A murderer who escaped from a Florida prison in 1979 is now in custody in Colorado.
Frederick Barrett escaped from the Union Correctional Institution 32 years ago by climbing three fences during a power outage. He was found Wednesday in Montrose County, Colo., in a house where authorities say he was growing marijuana. The 60-year-old fugitive was living under the name Neil Meltzer.
Barrett was serving a life sentence for the February 1971 murder of Carl Ardolino when he escaped.
Colorado authorities charged him with possession of firearms by a convicted felon and operating a marijuana grow house. He has to answer to those charges before facing extradition.
The Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Marshalls Service were investigating the case for several years.