CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia fugitive is fighting to stay out of prison after he escaped nearly 50 years ago.
Robert Stackowitz was arrested last week in Connecticut after escaping from the Carroll County Correctional Institution in 1968.
Stackowitz was sent there at 23-year-old on a 17-year sentence for armed robbery.
Two years into his sentence, while he was out on an unsupervised work detail, he took off.
“One morning I went out, got a ride to the airport and came home, simple as that,” Stackowitz said.
Stackowitz went home to Sherman, Connecticut, where he spent 30 years repairing boats and living under an alias.
He got a knock on the door last week after U.S. Marshals picked up his trail when he used his real name on a government document.
“The marshals were very nice. They took care of me,” Stackowitz said.
Stackowitz said he’s been a model citizen over the decades and redeemed in a way that would have never happened had he stayed locked up.
“Of course, I’m sorry for what I did. I know it was wrong and I never should have done it,” he said.
With numerous health issues, including congestive heart failure, cancer and diabetes, Stackowitz said he would not survive long back behind bars.
“I mean, the trip alone would probably kill me to be honest with you,” he said.
The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles said Stackowitz must be in state custody before they can consider commuting the rest of his sentence.