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LAKE POINT — A man and wife who have been on the run from law enforcement for decades are now in custody in Utah. Allen Andrews and Linda Sue Andrews were arrested July 3 in Lake Point following a fender bender in a gas station parking lot.
"It was lucky, but this is actually just what you call good police work from Deputy (Jeff) Mott and Deputy (Jeff) Miller," said Tooele County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Morgan. "They did what they needed to do and just kept digging until they got the proper information that they needed to run a check on them."
For the Andrews, their arrests marked an end to an incredibly long run of evading police. Their story has even been highlighted multiple times on the TV show "America's Most Wanted."
According to a writeup at the America's Most Wanted website, the Andrews' troubles began in 1987. Linda Sue Andrews was wanted in connection with the burglary of a school teacher's home. The teacher was murdered that year, and investigators believe Andrews may have answers in that investigation. A federal warrant was issued for her arrest in 1998.
Allen Andrews was accused of writing bad checks in Montana and Arizona in the early 1990s. One of the last sightings of the Andrews, according to the website, was in 2005 in Knoxville.
They've been from Maine to California who knows how many times.
–Lt. Jeff Morgan
"They've been from Maine to California who knows how many times," Morgan said.
Morgan said the couple played coy at the time of their arrest, saying they weren't aware they were being sought by police.
"I believe they had to know," Morgan said.
Deputies arrived on scene at the Lake Point gas station after the Andrews turned up with no insurance and no identification. The other driver's insurance company recommended deputies compile a report.
Morgan said after several minutes of evasive answers, the Andrews caved and disclosed their birth dates and real names. The deputies ran a nationwide search.
"It showed that they were wanted in several different states for various crimes," Morgan said.
It appeared the couple made attempts to alter their RV's license plate, Morgan said. It was a temporary plate that had been written over multiple times.
A woman at the station told KSL the couple had been staying with their RV in the parking lot for about two weeks. They were described as "friendly," and even apparently cleaned up garbage when it showed up in the lot.
They had told the woman they had come from California, were waiting for more money to arrive and then they were headed east.
Now booked into the Tooele County Jail, it's unclear where their next stop will be. The Andrews are expected to be extradited, but the destination remains unknown. Morgan said they were wanted in multiple states.
