New York fugitive found camping out in Carter County, Mo.

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A fugitive on New York state's most wanted list was apprehended Tuesday when authorities surrounded his survivalist shack in a secluded area of Carter County.

Wanted for parole violation in Onondaga County, N.Y., Charles A. Myrtetus, 63, had been on the lam for more than two years, according to Carter County Sheriff Tommy Adams.

"He had been living in the Carter County area for approximately two years out in the small town of Handy," Adams said.

After receiving information indicating Myrtetus, who was using a different name in Carter County and has about 15 to 20 aliases, had a cellular telephone, officials with the U.S. Marshal's Service were able to track the phone and give Carter County authorities a "pretty close area" as to where he was at, Adams said.

"We actually went by an informant that got in real close to where he was at. Then, we found his shack he was living in," Adams said.

Myrtetus did not resist when he was arrested at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"We pretty much surrounded the house and caught him off guard," Adams explained. "We were able to apprehend him before he had time to do anything."

According to Adams, Myrtetus was "roughing it."

Adams described Myrtetus' shack as being fairly large with a generator.

"He had all the lights run on small automotive wiring; it was pretty conservative," he said. "He had a water tank, 20 feet in the air, to feed the (water) lines into the house. ... He had it put together pretty good for out in the middle of nowhere."

Authorities, Adams said, are not sure how Myrtetus ended up in Carter County. Myrtetus' ex-wife, he said, lived in Missouri, but not in this area.

"Handy is a pretty wooded area; he found this place (and) said he had been out there a couple of years," he said.

When he was arrested, Adams said, officers found some firearms (handguns).

"We're going to try to do federal charges on the possession of firearms," since Myrtetus is a felon, Adams said. Myrtetus, he said, was convicted of first-degree rape involving an adult female.

"He had a large amount of cash on him, and he didn't work, so we're trying to figure out where (the money) came from," Adams explained.

Officers, he said, also plan to seek charges for failure to register as a sexual offender in Carter County and apply for a search warrant today for the property.

There were several items, such as tractors, pickups, all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles, on the property and it is unknown if any of the items have been reported stolen, Adams said.

"There's just tons of stuff on the property; we're going to have to investigate that," he said.

As Carter County authorities continue their investigation, Adams said, New York authorities have sent a "48-hour warrant" to hold Myrtetus.

"He's in our custody until they give us a pick up date, which I don't think is going to be very long," Adams said.