This story courtesy of EastIdahoNews.com. It is used here with permission – 

GREEN RIVER, Wyoming — A man who allegedly ran from authorities for 42 years after bombing a home in Wyoming has been arrested.

Stephen Craig Campbell, 76, was arrested on Feb. 19 at a remote property in Weed, New Mexico, according to a news release from the Sweetwater County, Wyoming, Sheriff’s Office.

“Campbell has been wanted since 1982 on an attempted first-degree murder charge in Sweetwater County,” according to the release. “For over 40 years, he remained a ghost — evading law enforcement, collecting government benefits and living under an assumed identity until investigators uncovered his whereabouts.”

Campbell reportedly planted a “booby-trapped toolbox rigged with explosives outside the home of his estranged wife’s boyfriend in 1982.”

The ex-wife was not the intended target, but when she opened the container, a powerful explosion tore off one of her fingers and sent shrapnel flying. The blast also started a fire that destroyed the home and a neighboring unit.

Campbell was then arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder but was released on bond in 1982.

Police say immediately after posting bail, he vanished. A warrant was issued, but he disappeared without a trace, obtaining a new identity and avoiding capture for decades.

According to court documents, Campbell assumed the name of Walter Lee Coffman, a former classmate who died in 1975, and built an entirely new life under that stolen identity.

“Using Coffman’s name, Campbell obtained multiple U.S. passports and a Social Security card and even purchased property in New Mexico,” says the release. “Investigators say he fraudulently collected approximately $140,000 in Social Security benefits while posing as Coffman.”

These lies kept him hidden from law enforcement, deputies say, even though he remained on the U.S. Marshals’ Most Wanted list for nearly half a century.

Campbell’s run ended after a renewed investigation by local and federal authorities uncovered his alias and location. On Feb. 19, a coalition of agencies — including the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Social Security Administration investigators and the Otero County Sheriff’s Office — moved in to arrest him at his 44-acre compound in the mountains of New Mexico.

“When officers arrived, Campbell met them armed with a high-powered rifle, taking up a concealed, elevated position. He initially refused to surrender, prompting officers to deploy flashbang stun devices,” says the release. “After multiple commands and tactical maneuvers, he finally emerged from the wooded hideout and was taken into custody without shots fired.”

Authorities seized Campbell’s rifle, which had a round of armor-piercing ammunition chambered. During a search of the property, police found 57 guns and large quantities of ammunition.

“Campbell’s wanted poster has been on the wall at our office since I started here nearly 20 years ago. I’ve worked hundreds of fugitive cases, helping track down and capture fugitives all across the country. But never Campbell — every lead went cold, no matter what tools we used. Now, I finally understand why,” said Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jason Mower in the release.

Campbell appeared in federal court Wednesday in New Mexico on fraud charges related to using a stolen identity.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison before extradition to Wyoming to stand trial for the 1982 bombing. The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office has placed a detainer to ensure he is returned to Wyoming once federal proceedings conclude.