A 76-year-old man who went into hiding following a 1982 bombing and allegedly assumed the identity of his dead college classmate was arrested this month at his home in New Mexico after a standoff with law enforcement.
Stephen Craig Campbell on Wednesday was ordered to be held pending trial after a federal court ruled him to be a flight risk. For four decades, he was a fugitive and wanted on attempted first-degree murder charges after he allegedly planted an explosive device in a toolbox outside the Wyoming home of his estranged wife's boyfriend, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico said in a news release.
His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.
The bomb exploded when the wife opened the toolbox, severing her finger and causing other injuries, officials said. The blast also ignited a fire at the home and a neighboring residence.
Campbell was taken into custody after the bombing and was reportedly released on bond in 1983, but he failed to show for a court appearance, the attorney's office said.
He was placed on the U.S. Marshals' most-wanted list and had been on the run up until his Feb. 19 arrest.
An investigation found that around 1984, Campbell assumed the identity of Walter Lee Coffman, who was 22 when he died in 1975. Campbell and Coffman both attended the University of Arkansas to pursue engineering. Authorities believe there was most "likely a connection between the two" because they attended the same school.
Over the years, Campbell used the dead man's name to get a passport, obtain a replacement Social Security card and purchase property in Weed, New Mexico.
His ruse began to fall apart in September 2019 when Campbell renewed his driver's license in Cloudcroft, New Mexico.
"After a renewed New Mexico license was issued to Campbell under Coffman’s name, agents from the National Passport Center’s Fraud Prevention Unit discovered Coffman’s death and the suspected decades-long fraudulent use of his identity," the attorney's office said.
Authorities obtained an arrest warrant for Campbell this month and tracked him down to his 44-acre property in New Mexico.
"Campbell allegedly greeted law enforcement armed with a scoped rifle, positioning himself in an elevated, partially concealed spot," the attorney's office said. "After repeated orders and the deployment of flashbangs, Campbell emerged from the wood line and was detained."
His rifle was allegedly loaded with high-powered ammunition capable of piercing standard body armor, officials said. Nearly 60 firearms and large quantities of ammunition were found during a search of his property.
He was charged with misuse of a passport, and investigators are evaluating additional charges, the attorney's office said. If convicted of misuse of a passport, Campbell faces up to 10 years in prison. A trial date has not yet been set.
Authorities in Wyoming have been notified of Campbell's capture and requested a detainer be placed on him in connection with the pending attempted first-degree murder charges.
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