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Absconded sex offender from Michigan found in Martin County

Posted at 11:56 PM, May 08, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-09 06:09:57-04

Martin County deputies arrested an absconded sex offender, on the run for at least two weeks.

Russell Howard Ewing, 62, failed to register as a sex offender in Michigan, left the state in April, and traveled to Florida, according to investigators.

Once in Florida, authorities said he never notified local law enforcement that he was in the state, breaking the law.

On Friday, deputies got a tip from Michigan State Police that Ewing might be living on a sailboat near the Manatee Marina in Port Salerno.

Following that lead, deputies spoke to fishermen in the area who said they saw Ewing take a taxi to Walmart.

Deputies found Ewing at Walmart and arrested him.

State records show Ewing was convicted in 2005 of attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 13-years-old.

Deputies say he later confessed that he failed to register as a sex offender.

They also believe they found him before he would have set sail to Puerto Rico.

He is being held at the Martin County Jail without bond.