Arizona fugitive had multiple arrests in Ohio

NEWARK, Ohio (AP) — Authorities are investigating how an Arizona fugitive wanted for nearly 30 years eluded police despite numerous arrests in a central Ohio county.

The Newark Advocate reports today that John Whiting was charged 14 times and convicted eight times in Licking County while he was wanted for a probation violation on a manslaughter conviction.

The Ohio charges include drunken driving and aggravated menacing.

Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp says he’s looking into why an FBI database didn’t match Whiting’s fingerprints to the Arizona arrest warrant.

U.S. marshals say Whiting was a fugitive from Maricopa County, Arizona, since Sept. 16, 1980. He had been living under an alias and was arrested early Tuesday in Newark.