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Edward Happer, FBI Top Ten Fugitive, Caught after 15 Years

by Amy Judd | July 23, 2009 at 03:04 pm

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Child Molester Edward Eugene Harper, who is on the FBI 10 Most Wanted List, and has eluded capture for 15 years is now in custody. Harper is accused of molesting two young girls, ages 3 and 8, in Hernando, Mississippi over ten years ago.

The FBI received a tip in June and finally apprehended him today in Wyoming, where he was living in a 1979 truck camper near the Big Horn Mountains.

He is believed to have lived a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place and earning a living by doing odd jobs and herding sheep, the FBI said in a statement.

He was indicted in April 1994 with conspiracy to commit sexual battery, fondling a child and sexual battery.

He failed to show up for his court hearing and was issued a warrant for his arrest in October 1994. He was added to the 10 Most Wanted List last year.

According to the FBI, Harper subscribed to "sovereign citizen" ideology and claimed to be a member of the Montana Freemen, a group that rejected the authority of the U.S. government. The group became famous for an 81-day standoff with federal agents in Montana in 1996.

He also worked as a ranch hand in Montana and then a truck driver.