Man Mistaken For Folsom Prison Escapee Discovered As Nevada Prison Escapee
GRASS VALLEY (CBS13) - For a while, Nevada County Sheriff's deputies thought they had a Folsom Prison escapee who was on the FBI's 10 most-wanted list. It turns out he was the wrong guy but still a wanted man.
Glen Godwin stabbed a man to death in Palm Springs and was serving time in Folsom Prison when, the FBI says, he cut a hole in a fence and escaped through a storm drain in 1987.
After getting a tip on Wednesday, Nevada County deputies believed Godwin could be living in an apartment complex in the 120 block of West Berryhill Drive in Grass Valley.
Nevada County Sheriff Keith Royal remembers Godwin's escape.
"I was working in Sacramento County with the sheriff's office there in patrol, and we were looking for him," said Royal.
Just a couple of days ago, Royal got a call from the California Department of Corrections saying an informant told them Godwin was living at the Grass Valley apartment complex.
On Wednesday morning, deputies spotted the car Godwin was supposedly driving. They tried to stop the car, but the driver fled, and a five-mile chase ended in a field.
"When he exited the vehicle, my understanding is he had a handgun in his hand," said Royal.
Deputies fired a shot and then took the man into custody, but when they ran his fingerprints, they didn't match Godwin's. However, they did match another suspected escapee.
"Although he wasn't Mr. Godwin, who is an escapee, he was an escapee out of the state of Nevada," said Royal.
Christopher Lang is charged with escaping from a Nevada prison a year ago. He was serving time for property crimes.
Even if he isn't who authorities thought he was, the sheriff says it's still a good catch.
"We took a bad guy off the street, so that was a good thing for the community," said Royal.
Deputies searched the car Lang was driving and say they found drugs. He will likely face fleeing charges in addition to firearm and drug possession changes.
In addition to local charges, Lang will be charged in Nevada for escaping from prison.
Godwin is still on the run.
