After a dogged manhunt that stretched over several months, Monroe police have recaptured Cleveland Waters, the Waxhaw man who fled from law enforcement back in late May, WBTV reports. This 42-year-old fugitive was wanted on a slew of violent felony charges including attempted murder following a May incident where a man was found shot multiple times.
Authorities have not revealed many details about Waters' escape while in the custody of Detective Cody Eiss in an unmarked Monroe PD car. That same vehicle later crashed in a parking lot shortly after Waters disappeared. While some information about the crash has been shared, the full account of Waters' escape remains unclear, as officials are still completing their investigation.
Waters' capture on October 24 in Laurinburg by a task force including the U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement was no simple feat, leading Union County Sheriff, Eddie Cathey, to praise the collective effort, telling WCNC, "I am thankful another dangerous offender is off our streets and in a jail cell.”
Alongside the attempted first-degree murder charge, Waters faces a multitude of accusations, from assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill to firearms and narcotics offenses, and even a prior incident where he reportedly came late to court and was found with cocaine, though these preceding allegations pale in comparison to the gravity of potentially taking a life, and the resulting intensive search efforts that followed his initial and almost cinematic escape.
QC News reported on the intense pursuit involving multiple law enforcement agencies and noted Waters' previous charges, including failure to appear and probation violations. He is now in the Union County Detention Center, awaiting the next stage of his long run from justice.
