Georgia No Longer Wants Inmate Who Escaped 48 Years Ago

A Georgia inmate who drove away from a prison work camp in 1968 and never looked back won't have to return.

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles on Wednesday issued a medical reprieve for 71-year-old Robert Stackowitz, allowing him to continue living in Connecticut under that state's supervision.

That's where Stackowitz became "Bob Gordon," the owner of a boat repair shop in Sherman, a town of about 3,500 people.

After 48 years of living life quietly on the lam, Stackowitz was arrested in May.

Stackowitz was serving a 17-year sentence for robbery by force when he escaped from the Carroll County Correctional Institution on August 22, 1968.

He had been convicted in Henry County in 1966.

Stackowitz was a mechanic who worked on vehicles at the work camp and, one day, simply decided to drive away.

His case was re-opened after marshals discovered he had used his real name when applying for social security benefits in Connecticut.

A spokesman for the Georgia Pardons and Paroles board said that Stackowitz has serious medical issues and that he can be best treated outside of a prison.

Connecticut officials still must approve the arrangement.

Photo courtesy Georgia Department of Corrections