Frank Freshwaters

Summary

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True Crime All The Time – Episode 475: Frank Freshwaters

Release Date: February 26, 2026
Hosts: Mike Ferguson & Mike Gibson ("Gibby")

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the extraordinary saga of Frank Freshwaters, an Ohio man whose story threads together accidental tragedy, a surprising escape, decades lived under an alias, and a controversial final resolution. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson dissect Freshwaters’ life: from a fatal crash in Akron in 1957, through his escape from custody, his ability to build a new life for over 50 years, and the questions of accountability and rehabilitation that linger to this day.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Fatal Accident and Initial Sentencing

• [01:17–07:23]
  • Frank Freshwaters was a 21-year-old newlywed in Akron, Ohio, with no criminal history, who accidentally killed a pedestrian, Eugene Flint, while speeding.
  • Flint was an Army veteran, father of three, and Goodyear employee, killed steps from his home.
  • Freshwaters was driving 50+ mph in a 35 mph zone at almost midnight. His claim: "There was a man in front of me. And then I don't know what happened." — Mike Ferguson [06:06]
  • Frank pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter, was sentenced to 1–20 years, but initially served probation. The hosts note how unusual and lenient this sentence seemed, even for the time.
    • Notable Quote: “If you got five years probation, man, you would be on the straight and narrow.” — Mike Ferguson [09:51]

2. Probation Violations and Imprisonment

• [07:23–12:45]
  • Despite a "good deal," Freshwaters repeatedly violated the simple terms of his probation (driving, failing to pay $5 weekly, not reporting to probation).
  • His second chance squandered, the original 1–20 year sentence was imposed, and he was sent to Ohio State Reformatory (filming site of The Shawshank Redemption).
  • Frank’s wife left him; his son later said Frank rarely discussed this part of his life.
    • Notable Quote: "You just had to do some simple things and you couldn't even do that." — Mike Ferguson [12:02]

3. Escape and Life on the Run

• [12:45–19:26]
  • A model prisoner, Frank earned "trust" status and was moved to the Sandusky Honor Farm, from which he soon escaped with another inmate.
  • Using the alias William Harold Cox, he navigated 1950s/60s bureaucracies to build a new identity in West Virginia, where he lived for over a decade, had two sons, and maintained a positive community reputation.
  • His relationship with Joyce Wade ended with her filing a "peace warrant" due to fears of violence. His true identity was discovered when hiding from police during this process.
    • Notable Quote: “He was found hiding in a cubicle and hidden under the sink — which I know is your go-to hiding place.” — Mike Ferguson [18:00]

4. West Virginia Arrest and Questionable Resolution

• [19:26–27:18]
  • When arrested in the 1970s, many in the community vouched for Frank's character. Even the governor advocated supervised parole, emphasizing the correctional system’s focus on rehabilitation.
    • [20:23] Governor Moore: “The primary objectives in our correction system are the rehabilitation of the criminal offender and the protection of society....Mr. Freshwaters has proved himself...to be an effective and responsible citizen and would in no way endanger any member of society.”
  • Ohio authorities repeatedly failed to appear at hearings; ultimately, West Virginia released Frank with no further prison time. He remained "William Cox" and continued his quiet life.

5. Decades in Hiding, Florida Years

• [27:18–31:09]
  • Frank moved to Florida with second partner Brenda, again integrating into his local community (including working for a state senator’s family), retiring early to care for Brenda when she became ill and later died.
  • Frank, known as "Grandpa Bill," lived simply and inconspicuously until the U.S. Marshals’ Cold Case Unit, at Ohio's request, reopened the case in 2015.
  • Notable Quote: “It was the perfect place to hide...he would have very little contact with neighbors and there’s no roads by him.” — Sheriff Major Todd Goodyear [28:36]

6. 2015 Arrest and Final Legal Wrangling

• [31:09–40:43]
  • Authorities used a ruse to confirm his fingerprints, leading to his arrest at age 79, having evaded capture for 56 years. Frank admitted his true identity and posed no resistance.
    • [32:36] They showed him a 1959 photo and asked if he’d seen that person: “He replied that he hadn’t seen him in a long time.”
  • Victim’s son, Richard Flint, expressed nuanced feelings: "Everybody messes up, but if he had just took his punishment, that would have been it." [33:50]
  • Over 2,000 people across six states submitted letters urging release, swayed by media coverage and perception that Frank was reformed.

7. Parole and Legacy

• [40:43–44:39]
  • Ohio sentenced Frank to five years’ parole, echoing his original deal, but he was quickly released due to age and health.
    • [41:10] “He walked out today and has a smile on his face. And he’s very thankful to those who supported him with their prayers because he needed it. Right now he’s taking a nap, probably because he’s at that age where he needs a lot of nap.” — Attorney Gordon Beggs
  • Hosts debate the fairness of the outcome—did he ever truly "pay" for the original crime, or did decades of law-abiding life supplant accountability?
    • Notable Exchange: “So you would have more time. So. Yeah, I guess I. I think what I'm struggling with is a person escaping, living what let's say, reportedly is a good life...but it doesn't make up for what you did before.” — Mike Ferguson [43:08]
    • “I just feel like it’s a...it sets the wrong message. Right?” — Mike Gibson [42:23]

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Memorable Quotes

• On Probation:
  “Don’t drive a car. Okay. It’s an inconvenience. I get it. Pay $5 a week. If you’re telling me I pay $5 a week and I stay out of prison, I’ll scrounge up $5 a week.”
  – Mike Ferguson [10:07]

• On Escaping the Honor Farm:
  “Weeks later, on September 30, 1959, Frank escaped the facility and fled the states. So maybe not that honorable.”
  – Mike Ferguson [13:25]

• On Rehabilitation:
  "The primary objectives in our correction system are the rehabilitation of the criminal offender and the protection of society.”
  – Citing Governor Moore [20:23]

• Victim's Family:
  "Everybody messes up, but if he had just took his punishment, that would have been it."
  – Richard Flint [33:50]

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Notable Timestamps

• [01:17] – Introduction to Frank Freshwaters and the accident
• [04:52] – Heartbreaking details: Eugene Flint's wife witnesses the incident
• [06:11] – Speeding and differing danger levels behind breaking speed limits
• [10:28] – Probation violations and missed opportunities
• [12:45] – Transfer to Sandusky Honor Farm and escape
• [15:35] – Life as William Cox, good reputation in new towns
• [18:00] – Hiding under the sink arrest moment
• [20:23] – Governor’s parole letter on rehabilitation
• [22:30] – Debate: Did Frank’s "good years" cancel out his crimes?
• [28:36] – Frank’s isolated life in Florida
• [32:36] – Confronted with his old photo, admits his identity
• [33:50] – Victim’s son’s reaction and philosophies on redemption
• [36:39] – 2,000 letters of support for parole board
• [41:10] – Release from parole, attorney’s comments

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Hosts’ Tone and Closing Thoughts

• Conversational with doses of irreverent humor, but respectful of victims.
• Mike and Gibby debate accountability vs. rehabilitation, often wry but serious about real-life impacts.
• Both express discomfort with the message sent by Frank’s near impunity, despite his apparent reform in later years.
• “I have a problem with it… he should have completed whatever he was going to complete.” — Mike Ferguson [41:58]

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode provides a nuanced portrait of justice—how it sometimes stumbles, how time and community perception can blur lines, and how hard questions remain about what rehabilitation and accountability really mean. Listeners are left to ponder the fairness of Frank Freshwaters’ odyssey: Was it right to let him walk free so many years later? Or does the original crime demand a reckoning, no matter how much time has passed?

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Transcript

[A]

Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 475 of the True Crime all the Time podcast. I'm Mike Ferguson and with me as always, is my partner in true crime, Mike Gibson. Gibby, how are you?

[B]

Hey, I'm doing good, man. How about you?

[A]

I'm doing great.

[B]

Well, you should be.

[A]

Why is that?

[B]

Because you're sitting in this really nice studio.

[A]

Yeah, but I've always had a studio. It's you that now have your own space as everybody's talking about.

[B]

I finally got my own stuff.

[A]

I know. You keep rubbing it. I don't know, it seems weird.

[B]

Yeah, it probably does.

[A]

All right, man, let's get right into it. You know, on these Thursday episodes we kind of jump right in.

[B]

We do.

[A]

So we're talking about Frank Freshwaters, which I have a theory or a thing that is telling me in my mind. This is going to be hard to say. At certain points throughout this episode, there's

[B]

a lot of repeated Fs.

[A]

Yeah, two Fs in a row. So. So Frank Freshwaters was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. What is Akron known for?

[B]

Well, I mean, good things or bad things?

[A]

Let's go with good things.

[B]

Good things. Is that where the hall of fame is?

[A]

No, no, that's Canton.

[B]

That's Canton. Well, there's a lot of tire places up there.

[A]

They're known for tires and LeBron James.

[B]

Oh, I forgot about LeBron.

[A]

I'm sure they're known for other stuff, but Those are the two that kind of clicked off in my mind. By 1957, Frank was a 21 year old newlywed. He and his 17 year old wife Patricia were about to become parents. Their son Jeff was born months after this accident. That would get Frank into trouble. So basically what happened was Frank killed the pedestrian while he was speeding in his car, which, you know, it's a different type of story for us.

[B]

Sure it is.

[A]

He's later going to go on the run. Right. So there, there's a lot to this story. But he gets into this accident. I'm sure he didn't mean to run this person over. Frank had no criminal record and he worked for Cascade Rubber Company.

[B]

Oh, Rubber Company.

[A]

Shocker. On July 3rd, 1957, Frank was driving his vehicle in Akron and he killed the pedestrian who was crossing the street. It was Almost midnight and 24 year old Eugene Flint was walking to his house. Eugene was an army veteran and he worked at Goodyear. He was also married and a father of three children. So we just talked about tires, man. I think, you know, I don't know how much today, you know, Akron is the hub of tire making. But certainly in. In 1957, a lot of people in Akron worked making tires.

[B]

Probably came home, smelt like rubber, had that silicone stuff all over them, you know, have you. Did I ever tell you, I think I mentioned it before, how I used to sling tires.

[A]

Sling, as in sell stolen tires?

[B]

No, no, no, no, no, no. So I and my older brother did it with me, too. So for extra cash, we would go to this place, loading dock, and they would have all these tires coming from one of the tire manufacturers here in Dayton. But you go to this warehouse, this dock area, and you would just, like, throw them.

[A]

Throw them like a discus almost.

[B]

Okay, I got you the semi. And you'd. One would throw them, the other one would stack them. Certain way they had to be stacked so they shift, you know, the load wouldn't shift.

[A]

Well, and if we're picking, I would put you as the thrower, and one of your brothers is the stacker.

[B]

That's what it was.

[A]

That just makes sense.

[B]

But you'd come out of there and you'd be at, you know, hands would just be coated in the black rubber and. Yeah, that silicone be all over you. Slick. As you can imagine, in my younger

[A]

days, I did have a job for a brief period of time at a. Like a car repair repair place. So I would mount tires and do things like that. Yeah, I thought that job was kind of fun. I mean, it wasn't for me long term, but at the time, it was pretty fun. But this is, you know, it's a tragedy, right? We have this married father of three who's not doing anything wrong. He's just walking to his house, and he gets hit and killed by, you know, this man driving his car. Frank Freshwaters. Eugene had just parked his truck after getting home from his shift. He was crossing the street to go into his home where his wife was waiting to greet him. So here's the other thing. He's literally right outside of his house.

[B]

Yeah. Like, he almost made it home.

[A]

Yeah. He is crossing the intersection to walk into his house where his wife's waiting. His children, I'm sure, sleep because it's like, you know, almost midnight. The Akron Beacon Journal reported at the time his wife, Garnett, saw him park the truck. She turned to put some coffee on for him. She heard the crash and then turned to the window to see him flying through the air. I mean, unimaginable.

[B]

Yeah, it'd be rough.

[A]

It would be hard to even Find out later, Right. That you're spouse, your significant other, was killed in some kind of car crash. Even if it was an accident, but to literally see it unfold.

[B]

Traumatizing.

[A]

Yeah. It would be just unbelievably brutal. Frank Freshwaters was driving over 50 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone when he hit Eugene. Frank told the police, there was a man in front of me. And then I don't know what happened. And I'm sure that was probably the truth. Yeah, I, again, I don't think he meant to run this guy over. But there's a reason that there are speed limits.

[B]

I mean, it's not uncommon for people to go over the speed limit. I mean, that's one of my big problems. I have a lead foot.

[A]

Well, and I would say this right. To me, there are differences. I know legally there's no differences. But if you're going 75 on the highway in the speed limit, 65. I get it. Technically you're speeding. But to me, it's much different if you're going 35 in a 25 school zone.

[B]

Well, sure, yeah.

[A]

You know, the, the danger there's a different level.

[B]

Greater. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

To me, but I get it. It's still 10 miles over. You're going to get a ticket or whatever. Eugene died from shock from a fractured skull and compound fractures of both legs less than an hour after the accident. On April 25, 1958, Frank pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter and he was sentenced to one to 20 years in prison. But then the judge suspended his sentence and gave him five years of probation instead.

[B]

Okay. Sounds pretty reasonable for him. Yeah.

[A]

Now, if you're this guy's wife. Okay. Or family, you're probably not happy about that, but again, I do think it was an accident, even though he was driving too fast. That's where the manslaughter piece of it.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Comes in. One to 20 years in prison is a, a strange sentence. But you and I have talked about it, you know, in a lot of our episodes that go back to like the 40s, 50s, 60s, even into the 70s. You know, over the years in the U.S. depending on what state you're in, there have been some really strange sentencing guidelines.

[B]

There sure have.

[A]

And, and they've changed. Right. Throughout the years. The problem came later on when Frank violated his probation by driving a car. So when you kill somebody and you only get probation, I'm assuming one of those was you don't get to drive a car.

[B]

Yeah. You're suspended from Driving for now.

[A]

Yeah. He also obtained a driver's license and he failed to report to the probation department. He also failed to make weekly five dollar payments to the clerk's office.

[B]

Well, you know, when you're on probation, you know, as you know, you've been on a many times before, I assume.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Or is it me? I don't know.

[A]

I think it's you. You. Of the two of us, only one of us has worn a monitoring ankle monitor multiple times.

[B]

That was for fun. But, but you have certain things you have to follow. Like you need to check in, you need to pay whatever fees need to be paid.

[A]

Yeah. Restitution or whatever it is.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, it's requirements. And if you don't make those requirements, your probation will be lifted.

[A]

But here's the thing, and this is what I always think about when someone gets, and I'll call it a good deal, that's probably not the right term for it, but he did kill a man. Sure. And he was committing an infraction at the very least at the time he was doing it. You would think that if you got five years probation, man, you would be on the straight and narrow.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

I wouldn't throw a piece of gum on the street for fear that I would somehow then have to finish out my one to 20 year sentence.

[B]

I mean, the deal he had was very favorable for him.

[A]

Yeah, no, there's no doubt about it. But to, to do the, the stuff that we just mentioned. Right. Don't drive a car. Okay. It's an inconvenience. I get it. Pay $5 a week. If, if you're telling me I pay $5 a week and I stay out of prison, I'll scrounge up $5 a week.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

That, that just doesn't make any sense to me. On February 19, 1959, Frank was found guilty of violating his probation. And his original sentence of 1 to 20 years was imposed.

[B]

I mean, look, if you're going to get maybe on the short end of that deal, the one year, you're probably like, ah, you know, it sucks, but I'll get through it.

[A]

Yeah, but, and I get, I get your point. Right. If you're getting the 20, then you're, you're really upset, but it was all avoidable. That was my point. And I, I just don't get that. What was interesting that was that Frank was sent to the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, which is up north quite a ways from where we are. Yeah, but that's also where the movie Shawshank Redemption was filmed.

[B]

We should go visit it.

[A]

We should.

[B]

I hear it's haunted.

[A]

You and I actually had an argument about that a few weeks ago.

[B]

We did.

[A]

And we had to look it up. And I'll admit on camera that you were right. I thought it was in Chicago and you said Mansfield and you turned out to be correct.

[B]

Is that hard to say? No, I think it was.

[A]

Not at all. For about six months, Frank was incarcerated in medium level custody and he worked at the prison hospital. His wife left him after he went to prison. I'm assuming she thought, well, this guy's so dumb, I can't stay married to him.

[B]

Well, yeah, I'm thinking she's like, hey, you just had to like, be good for five years and really not that good. You just had to do some simple things.

[A]

Yeah. You know, you didn't have to lift a thousand pound boulder up a hill. You just had to do a few things and you couldn't even do that. Frank's son told Florida Today that he rarely spoke about this part of his life. On September 1, 1959, Frank received a bond of faithful service and trust after a personal interview with the Ohio State reformatory superintendent. Never heard of it. But this document stated that Frank had been duly recommended as being worthy of trust and qualified for employment without the restraint of armed guard.

[B]

Well, I mean, if you think about it, he was a pretty low risk prisoner.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, he didn't go in for what you would consider a violent crime. I understand somebody lost their life, but he didn't shoot them or, you know, something along those lines. So, okay, he's being a model inmate, as people say. He was transported to the Sandusky Honor Farm to finish out his sentence. But weeks later, on September 30, 1959, Frank escaped the facility and fled the states. So maybe not that honorable.

[B]

I'm kind of thinking the same thing.

[A]

But here's. You know, we just did a case a while back where, you know, someone escaped. They were allowed to go to the mall.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Unsupervised.

[B]

All places.

[A]

Now, that person had a life sentence. Yeah, he did this one. Okay, I get it a little bit more. You think 1 to 20? It's probably not going to. It's probably going to be closer to 1 than 20.

[B]

Right.

[A]

If it didn't say, I don't think I didn't read it. But you think this person's not going to risk escape. Right?

[B]

Yeah, he'll be out soon enough.

[A]

Yeah, but he doesn't, he escapes. An officer was doing a Routine check of inmates assigned to work at the main mess hall at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home and discovered that Frank was missing. Frank walked away with an inmate convicted of burglary, per Florida today. After escaping, Frank traveled to Florida and applied and received a new Social Security card under the alias William Harold Cox. And this is something that you and I have talked about many times, right? The 50s and 60s versus today. How much easier was it to maybe assume someone's identity? Not that people don't steal people's identity today, because they do. They do, but much easier, I think, back then to maybe fill out a form, write in, apply for, you know, a Social Security card. And that's basically what he did. He became William Harold Cox. In the early 60s, Frank moved to Hurricane, a small town in West Virginia. And then for the next 13 years, he lived with a woman named Joyce Wade. They had two sons together. Frank drove trucks for chemical companies and at one point drove a mobile library to underserved schools in West Virginia.

[B]

Kind of a good guy there.

[A]

Well, I think he's playing that because, let's face it, he's assumed this new alias. Right, Bill? And he developed a pretty positive reputation in the community. Now, it was advantageous for him to do so.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

You don't want to draw any attention to yourself by doing anything wrong.

[B]

And maybe for him, this was his fresh start.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, illegally, but. Yeah, get what you're saying. In October 1975, after Frank's relationship deteriorated, Joyce Wade contacted the authorities and filed a peace warrant against Frank. She wrote that she feared violence and asked for a court hearing. Now, details of the warrant are no longer available, most likely due to a flood that affected the sheriff's office in the 1980s. Again, most that stuff wouldn't have been computerized probably at that time. So we've heard in older cases where a flood or a roof collapse under a heavy rain has kind of ruined a lot of evidence.

[B]

Hear that a lot in some of these older cases. But here's a. You know, we were just talking about how he's probably. I said, he's probably a good guy now and trying to get his life turned around and. But then you find out, according to, you know, his partner for the last 13 years.

[A]

Not such a good guy.

[B]

Yeah, not such a good guy.

[A]

But my thought was, you know, was he really a good guy or was he playing the role of the good guy because he wanted to have a reputation that wouldn't draw attention to the fact that, you know, he was an escapee? Yeah, or, you know, anything like that. And I always think that, to be honest with you, I usually think the. The worst of. Of people like this because they'll do and say anything that they have to, you know, to. To stay out of. Stay out of prison.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, you're going to want to do what you can to avoid that.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, it's in your best interest, for sure. The West Virginia State Police arrested Frank. He was found hiding in a cubicle and hidden under the sink.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Which I know is your go to hiding place. It's one of them when the. You have a couple.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You have a hidden panic room, too.

[B]

I do have that.

[A]

This made police suspicious because, you know, a person wouldn't typically hide from a peace warrant. And I'll be honest with you, Gibbs, I don't really know what a peace warrant is.

[B]

I haven't a feeling like it's one of those warrants that it's just something that they have to hand to you. You accept it, and then you deal with it later. It's not like you're being arrested at that point.

[A]

Right then and there, Frank was arrested and fingerprinted, and his true identity was discovered. Now, I don't know if he was arrested because of the peace warrant or because he was hiding under the sink. I'm not sure. Joyce, though, failed to show up to the court hearing. But even so, law enforcement held Frank on a fugitive from justice warrant. Now, if they hadn't figured out he was a fugitive, the whole thing probably would have been dropped.

[B]

Yeah, probably would have been. Just. Okay, you can go ahead and go.

[A]

Normally, if your accuser doesn't show up, and if your accuser is the police, let's say a policeman, if they don't show up for the thing, then a lot of times it's dropped.

[B]

It's a playbook right out from the Mafia.

[A]

You mean being made not to show up?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But if you're a fugitive from justice, that's a whole different story. In his interviews, Frank shared details of what he'd been doing for the two decades that he'd been on the run. Then Governor Archmore received news of the arrest and proposed a plan to put Frank on a supervised parole program because of his flawless record in West Virginia

[B]

since he was such a good guy.

[A]

Yeah. After escaping from prison.

[B]

Yeah, he was.

[A]

He was a good guy. In a letter dated April 2, 1976, Moore wrote, Testimony was given by Mr. Freshwater's employer, fellow employees, friends and neighbors, all. All of whom vouched for his Good character habits, abilities, and job potential.

[B]

You know who has job potential? This guy right here. Potential.

[A]

Unrealized potential.

[B]

How many times did I tell you that in our one on ones, in our. In our job performance stuff, hey, I've got a lot of undiscovered potential. And you would say.

[A]

You say undiscovered. I say unrealized. But. Well. And for people watching us on YouTube who haven't listened to our 10 years worth of episodes. Yeah, you and I did used to work at the same company. We did in the beginning. You worked for me. I hired you.

[B]

You did.

[A]

Against my better judgment. But it turned out great. It did. You know, we became friends, and then eventually we were on the same level and.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Then when they said, hey, we don't need you here anymore, you took my job, essentially.

[B]

I hate how you say it that way, but I don't.

[A]

I don't harbor any grudges or anything. He went on to say, in conclusion, I want to point out that. But by denying this requisition, I am neither condoning nor excusing Mr. Freshwater's actions. However, the primary objectives in our correction system are the rehabilitation of the criminal offender and the protection of society. I am of the opinion that Mr. Freshwaters has proved himself in the last 16 years to be an effective and responsible citizen and would in no way endanger any member of society. So I want to break that down because there's some interesting things that he said there. You know, the primary objective to rehabilitate the criminal offender. I think we don't always do a great job of that. I'm speaking here in the US There are people that are listening to us from other countries, and maybe in other countries they do a better job of it. Too often I think we house, but we don't try to rehabilitate. Now, I also believe there are some people who cannot be rehabilitated. You know, when you're talking about some of the individuals we talk about on true crime all the time. But to be fair, you know, Frank didn't, you know, commit, like I said, a violent crime. He wasn't a rapist. He didn't shoot someone or stab someone. He did drive too fast and end up killing someone with his car. So, I mean, I think you have to keep all that in mind. And maybe the governor was. Was doing that too. Now, I don't know how much you give him for the last 16 years, because, like I said, I think he had a vested interest right. In toeing the line, in being a good citizen, because he didn't want to draw attention to himself. The state's Division of Correction agreed to. To supervise Frank. The governor also noted that Ohio authorities failed to turn up at two different hearings. Frank was eventually released from custody and allowed to go back to his normal life.

[B]

I'm guessing that Ohio authorities thought, were we going to take the time to drive down there for. They're not going to allow us to take them back. That didn't sound like it.

[A]

Right. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. Who knows what happened, but what I'm taking away from this is that, you know, he escaped from prison, essentially. I get it. It was a honor farm. But he was still in prison. Right. And once he was found out, what happened to him?

[B]

Nothing.

[A]

Supervised probation, and eventually he was let go, allowed to be out from under that.

[B]

So what type of message does that send to other individuals?

[A]

Take your chances. You know, that's. That's what I always think. But here's the thing, right? Even though he had been caught and identified, Frank continued living under the alias William Cox, which I found very strange. Did they not catch the fact that he was using someone else's identity?

[B]

They had to. I'm just, like, surprised they didn't say, okay, you need to go back to using, you know, your original name and stuff. But maybe because he had a established Social Security number which probably fed into his retirement somehow. Social Security, whatever, that they're like, we'll just allow you to keep that.

[A]

It's still a crime, though, right?

[B]

I don't know if he. If he stole the identity, which I had to. Right.

[A]

I mean, I don't think somebody gave it to him.

[B]

So, yeah, they're probably another crime right there.

[A]

I don't think anybody was like, hey, use my Social Security number. I'm. I'm not using it. That doesn't work. Obviously, this person was probably deceased.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he stole his Social Security.

[B]

So you think about it, right? He had the original crime that he was doing probation for. Well, not probation, but he was actually serving a time for. And then he escaped, which typically adds on a few extra years almost always. And then theft of a id.

[A]

Yeah. It's like they didn't even take that into account. I thought that was very strange. Frank's son, Jim Cox, recalled to Florida today. It was common knowledge what happened. I was about 5 years old at that time. I also remember that it was a big deal and everybody in my world knew about it, and they turned him loose. And after that, we lived in the same spot for years. They make it sound like he was on the run. He kept no secrets from me. But whatever happened in the past, we never spoke on that. It was just something that was brought up. It wasn't something that was brought up. I said it was. Yeah, it wasn't. He thought he was cleared of everything. And really, you know, the way that we talked about it, it did make it seem like that did. Right. He's on supervised probation. They let him off of that. So. Okay, he goes back to living his life. Around 1980, Frank fell in love with a woman named Brenda, who was 16 years younger than him. In 1987, they decided to move to Melbourne, Florida. Jim decided to move in with his dad. As a teenager, Frank continued working as a truck driver. He was hauling palm trees and landscaping materials for the parents of Florida State Senator Thad Altman. The Altman's later gave Frank a mobile home on their property and asked him to be their watchman. Okay, I don't know if they knew about his past. I'm assuming they didn't. Frank kept a lookout for trespassing hunters or mischievous teenagers.

[B]

Sounds like he had a little good gig going on.

[A]

Yeah, because you gotta work, you gotta watch out for mischievous teenagers.

[B]

They're all everywhere. You are one and you still are.

[A]

Frank continued living under his alias, but he wasn't as careful as he once was because he thought his legal problems ended in West Virginia.

[B]

Well, I get, you know, why he thought that. I mean, it was kind of made out that he could just move on.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, when I read it about, you know, when I read about what happened, it did seem that way to me. It wasn't known how much Brenda knew about Frank's past. They eventually got married, but sadly, Brenda was diagnosed with cancer. Frank retired early on Social Security to take care of her. Then Brenda died in April 1999. Frank's friend Cheryl Cheatham, who knew him as William cox for about 15 years, said he he went off the radar. After Brenda died. He continued living alone in his trailer on the Altman's property. It was situated at the end of a dead end and rarely traveled road near the marsh. Few people lived near him. And it was also said that Frank was a homebody and he even refused to evacuate during severe weather.

[B]

Oh wow.

[A]

Which there are people like that? There is, unfortunately. You know, in Florida they do have quite a bit of severe weather. Brevard County Sheriff Major Todd Goodyear told the Plain Dealer it was the perfect place to hide. There's nothing near him. He would have very little contact with neighbors and there's no roads by him. Frank's friends in Melbourne knew him as Grandpa Bill.

[B]

Grandpa Bill.

[A]

He enjoyed fishing on the marsh, working on old cars and ordering takeout from his favorite restaurant.

[B]

There's something you got in common with them.

[A]

I do. I do enjoy a good takeout. Frank always called and asked for a bag of day old fried chicken so he could get a discount and then he would have food for the entire week.

[B]

You know, a day old chicken's not bad for you.

[A]

No, I eat a lot of day old stuff. I mean it's been refrigerated.

[B]

Yeah. You eat more than a day old stuff? I do. Some of the stuff you eat.

[A]

I do. But you know, Frank was, he was living on Social Security benefits at that time, so I'm sure he needed to

[B]

be a little thrifty budget friendly.

[A]

Yeah. When the U.S. marshals Cold Case Unit was established in early 2015, the Ohio Adult Parole Authority requested assistance in locating Frank. By that point, it was one of their oldest cases. Right. Of this guy walking away from the honor farm.

[B]

Just seems really strange that it was still on the radar.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Based on what we heard that happened in West Virginia.

[A]

Yeah. And the only thing that I can think of is that okay, they said that in West Virginia, but in Ohio we're still looking for you. Although maybe we're not actively looking for you. And then all of a sudden when the Cold Case Unit gets established, now you're back on our radar. After weeks of investigating, the Cold Case Unit found Frank living under the alias William Harold Cox in Melbourne. This information was passed along to the US Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force in Florida. And they began to investigate. So what the marshals did was they created a rouge to get Frank to sign papers so they could check his prints which matched the ones on file. Once they confirmed his identity, they created an arrest plan. And I'm always fascinated with the authorities creating ruses. I mean, you know, you hear about kind of sting operations where they call people up and tell them they've won money.

[B]

Oh yeah.

[A]

And there's come down to this place and, and these people file in and just one after another, they're arrested.

[B]

They just got a whole like facility full of people waiting to get their money.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And then they lock the doors and say you're all being arrested.

[A]

Which is kind of smart and funny at the same time. On May 14, 2015, 79 year old Frank Freshwaters was arrested at his home by the Cold Case Unit of the U.S. marshals Northern Ohio Violent fugitive Task force, which is kind of a mouthful for. For an agency. But by that point, Frank had been on the run, and I'm using that in air quotes, for 56 years.

[B]

Long time now.

[A]

I think to him, he thought he was on the run for what, about 16 years. They caught him and then they released him after his whatever parole period. Yeah, but Ohio's looking at him as though, no, you've been on the run for 56 years. He was shown a photo of himself from 1959, and he was asked if he had seen this person. Frank replied that he hadn't seen him in a long time.

[B]

Not that person.

[A]

And he admitted his identity. He was arrested without incident. Frank had driver's license and other identification materials in the name William Cox, which you would have if you had lived as this Bill COX for what, 40 plus years?

[B]

I mean, that was his 50 years.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

That was who he was.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, he took that on, I think, pretty early. In the summer of 2015, Eugene Flint's son Richard agreed to an interview with Northeast Ohio Media Group. By this time, Frank had been transferred to Lancaster, Ohio, to await a hearing on whether he would need to serve more time.

[B]

Lancaster, oh, that wasn't too far away from your old college.

[A]

No, very close to where I went to school. Richard's mother, Garnett, declined an interview request, as did Frank. Richard was just three years old when his father died. He said he had mixed emotions about Frank, adding, everybody messes up, but if he had just took his punishment, that would have been it.

[B]

I think we all agree on that.

[A]

Yeah, and I think it's a good sentiment. You know, obviously, this kid, he was a kid, right? He was three years old when this happened, but that's a pretty good perspective, right? Everybody does mess up. Now, this mess up took your father away, which is extremely tough. But he said it right. If the guy had just taken his medicine, if he had just done his time, then everything would have worked itself out. Yeah, he'd still been without his father. Nothing was going to bring his dad back. Richard believed Frank should at least serve the rest of his sentence. I don't think that's unreasonable at all. Richard recalled how the family struggled financially after his father's death. The loss of his dad's regular check caused, you know, all kinds of financial problems, and the family had to move into a home purchased by Eugene's father. Garnett began having health problems and later remarried. Richard clashed with his stepfather, but they eventually reconciled. He lost touch with most of his father's relatives over time. And I don't know how many times you and I have talked about, you know, stepdads, step moms, and, you know, what a tough role that could be, can be had one of each.

[B]

You did. Yeah.

[A]

And got along with both of them, but doesn't mean there. There's not friction. But I was never the kid who said, oh, you can't tell me what to do. You're not my real dad. Yeah, you know, anything like that, that does happen. It. Richard recalled that his mother had little reaction when he told her about the arrest, saying, the past is the past, and granted, it's been 56 years.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

So, you know, I don't think that's something you forget about witnessing your husband flying through the air.

[B]

No.

[A]

But, you know, time does soften things, I guess, for some people. In a June interview with Florida Today, Richard said he thought Frank should pay a little bit, but not very severe for his crimes. However, in a July phone interview with the Ohio parole division officials, Richard said he wanted Frank to remain imprisoned. So maybe he was oscillating a little bit.

[B]

Maybe. Maybe as he thought about it, he kind of changed his mind on what he thought.

[A]

Yeah. Because at points he thought, well, you know, he shouldn't have to do too much. And then he said, well, he should have to finish out his sentence. Over 2,000 people from six states wrote into the parole board showing their support for Frank. 2,000 people.

[B]

That's a fair amount.

[A]

I don't know. 2,000 people now, because of the podcast, could you and I get 2,000 people to write in for us? Yeah, probably, maybe. But without it, I might be able to get 5, 10, 15.

[B]

It's a little high.

[A]

And that's pushing it. Right. That's stretching it because not everybody likes me.

[B]

I'd be, you know, compacting. I'd be like, hey, don't be. Don't be sending that letter in.

[A]

Well, you would also be sending in letters for the opposite.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

For the opposition. I just think That's a lot. 2, 000 people.

[B]

Yeah. Well, that's a lot of people that felt that they should have. They shouldn't leave him locked up.

[A]

Yeah. And this did come after Florida Today published kind of an investigative series on the case. So maybe people looked at it and felt like it was unjust or wasn't quite fair. Frank's sons, Jeff and Jim, also advocated for his release. On February 25, 2016, the Ohio Adult Parole Authority voted to place Frank on parole with five years supervision. So essentially, it's very similar to what happened in West Virginia. Right. He was put on parole, supervised parole. He made it through that and he was let go. So Ohio's saying, okay, we're gonna do something similar with you. Granted, you're, I, I, you know, it's almost like 80 or some years old at this point.

[B]

Exactly. But it's almost like what they did in the beginning with him the very first time. Oh yeah, you know, that he couldn't

[A]

check in and then he violated that.

[B]

Yeah. So it's like, okay, let's, we'll start from here. Can you at least do what we wanted to do from the very first time?

[A]

Well, I think that's a great point because if you think about it, all of this could have never have happened right now. The death would still have happened. Right. There was no getting around that. But all of this with Frank would have never happened if he would have just followed the original parole conditions.

[B]

Check in, send the $5 a week, wasn't that difficult.

[A]

So they recommended his release for late April to give his attorneys time to turn in a plan kind of detailing out where Frank would live. The Summit County Prosecutor's office argued that Frank should serve at least four years because he failed to comply with probation, didn't pay a fifteen hundred dollar fine, and was avoiding responsibility. And you know, to be honest with you, it's hard to disagree with some of those things because I think they did happen. Now, Frank's attorneys argued that he was using a wheelchair due to severe arthritis and that he had lived a quiet life since his escape. He didn't commit any crimes during his decades on the run and he worked steady jobs. And I think you can have both things be true.

[B]

I think so.

[A]

Right. He did failed to comply with probation. He did not pay the money he was supposed to. He did avoid responsibility, there's no doubt about that. But on the the other hand, it seems, at least from what we know, he wasn't out there committing crimes. He was working. He retired. He had a, you know, a pretty fruitful life. I don't know if that's the right word. His sons offered to transport Frank to West Virginia, where Frank's son Jim lives, to help get him settled. Frank's son Jim wiped tears from his eyes after the decision was announced. His son Jeff said he was hoping to get to know Frank better. Frank was released from prison on June 15, 2016. So, you know, he wasn't there that long. Right. They kept him for a couple of months.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Just kind of wanting to get this Plan in place. His attorney, Gordon Beggs, told Florida today. He walked out today and has a smile on his face. And he's very thankful to those who supported him with their prayers because he needed it. Right now he's taking a nap, probably because he's at that age where he needs a lot of nap.

[B]

Well, you know, that starts earlier than that, by the way.

[A]

It does. You and I both take naps, and let's not kid ourselves.

[B]

Let's take a one earlier.

[A]

Not together. Not together. That sounded bad, but, no, we don't.

[B]

We don't do that anymore.

[A]

Anymore.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

A spokeswoman for the state corrections agency said Frank would be supervised in West Virginia. So, you know, to me, it's like. As we wrap this one up, Gibbs, it's like it came full circle. Probation, supervised probation. Couldn't handle that. Couldn't live up to the very few expectations of him. Right, right. So what happens? He goes back to prison. He flees. He really never does the time that he was supposed to do.

[B]

No.

[A]

Now, I do kind of have a problem with that, because I feel like he should have completed whatever he was going to complete. Now, it was pretty vague, right? One to 20. I don't know what it was going to be. Also, does the. What's the parole board think after you've already escaped and lived 56 years on the run?

[B]

Well, I just feel like it's a. It sets the wrong message. Right? I mean.

[A]

Yeah, I think it does.

[B]

You had an easy set in the beginning. Right. You just had to do the pro probation for five years, but you didn't. You chose not to follow that. So then they sent you to prison. One to 20 years, like you said. But because you were good when you were there, they put you on this really relaxed program, basically. You had a lot of free will to do things.

[A]

Freedom. Yeah. And. And the opportunity to escape pretty easily.

[B]

Yeah. But you chose to escape. So once you did all that, I mean, you still got to be held accountable for your original offense.

[A]

And I think that's the part I'm having the most trouble with.

[B]

But you also have to be accountable

[A]

because you actually escaped, which, technically would be additional charges.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So you would have more time. So. Yeah, I guess I. I think what I'm struggling with is a person escaping, living what let's say, reportedly is a good life. Right. Not committing crimes, working, contributing to society. That's all well and good.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But it doesn't make up for what you did before. And it's almost like they just kind of said well, we're just going to cancel that out because you. You did pretty good when you were out there. So I don't know, people all have different takes on it. And I'm. I'm always as you are, interested to hear people's opinions. But I don't know. I have a problem with it.

[B]

I just. You know, I think he got lucky to be out as long as he was anyway.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, today, would that happen? I don't really think so. But back then, you know, he had a pretty good start.

[A]

Yeah. And he had a good run.

[B]

Yeah, right.

[A]

56 years. You know, quick search online for an obituary for Frank. Couldn't find one. And also checked for William Harold Cox. So it does seem as though he's still alive and kind of living a quiet life with his family. I don't expect him to get in trouble now at his advanced age.

[B]

No, no, not at all.

[A]

No. But, you know, I think people will be torn. A lot of people will probably think, you know, you gotta. You still gotta pay the consequences. And they should have made him serve the rest of it out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But that's it for our episode on Frank Freshwaters. Do you got anything else you want to talk about, Gibbs?

[B]

No. No. I hope you enjoy the episode.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. And for those of you tuning into us on YouTube, you know, make sure go out, check our website, True Crime all the time dot com. You'll find a ton of stuff out there. But you know, our mailing address, our merch site, all that good stuff.

[B]

Don't forget to like and subscribe.

[A]

Ah, yeah, I never say that because I. I'm still new to this YouTube stuff, but.

[B]

Well, you know how to say it.

[A]

We will. We'll talk to you next week.

[B]

See you.

[A]

Bye.