Boise fugitive was on ‘America’s Most Wanted,’ on run for 21 years. He just got caught

A Boise man’s two decades on the run came to an end last week when Canadian law enforcement officials found him hiding out in British Columbia.

When Louis Flood was released on parole in 2001 after serving just three years of an 18-year sentence for lewd conduct with a minor under 16 and sexual abuse of a minor, he quickly disappeared, violating the terms of his parole. Now 77, he eluded authorities for so long that the popular television show “America’s Most Wanted” featured him in a 2011 episode, according to a news release.

Officials said they first learned of his possible location on July 13, when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police received a tip from the public that someone named Charles Payne in Creston, British Columbia, might actually be Flood living under a false identity, according to Constable Brett Urano. Flood was living in Creston as Payne for at least five years, officials said.

Constable Dave Bickle said in the news release that he contacted Idaho law enforcement and the Idaho Department of Correction, which sent over Flood’s records. Included in those documents was a photo of Flood, which the Mounted Police used to confirm his identity.

“I never thought I would be involved with such an interesting arrest and to have the opportunity to work with so many different agencies,” Bickle said. “This is a highlight for my career.”

Once Flood realized he had been found, he was taken peacefully.

“We met him at a public location and said, ‘Hey, Mr. Flood, you’re under arrest and you’ll need to come with us because you’re wanted still in the States,’ ” Urano told the Idaho Statesman. “He knew it was up and he came with us without any issue at all. He’s older now, too, so it’s not like he could run away from us.”

Canada Border Services Agency issued a removal warrant that allowed Flood to be extradited to the United States this week. He was held in a high-security facility and then brought from Vancouver, B.C., to Blaine, Washington, according to Idaho Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Michael Leigh.

“This was a great collaboration of local, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies working together to protect our communities,” Leigh told the Idaho Statesman.

The U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Taskforce out of Seattle met Canadian immigration officials to take custody of Flood at the Peace Arch Border Crossing and arrest him on state warrants. They placed him in the Snohomish County Jail, where he was still being held on Wednesday afternoon, according to Leigh.

“It was just fun getting to see the different organizations that we all get to work with have the same common goal of making sure people who committed their crimes finish their sentence and be apprehended for the crimes that they committed,” Urano said.

The Creston Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Idaho officials told them Flood would be returned to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.