>> reporter: elaine, 71-year-old robert stackowitz says he can barely walk. he is battling heart disease, bladder cancer, kidney disease, and diabetes. but in his better days he was living a normal life here in connecticut, even teaching at this technical school behind me for two years. in his first television interview, stackowitz told us a trip back to georgia to finish his 17-year sentence would be fatal but we wanted to know how he was able to stay under the radar for as long as he did. tell us about the day when you walked out of prison. >> somebody gave me a ride to the atlanta airport. i got on a plane, flew home. >> reporter: just that easy. >> well, back then, they didn't have any-- any terrorist checks or anything. >> reporter: and nearly five decades later, you've managed to escape law enforcement. how did you do it? >> well, they were looking for me in the beginning, i knew giat, because my mother, they were bugging her and watching her, whatever. but, of course, i didn't go near anere. and things calmed down after a while. o got a job, a social s

. >>> also, on nbc nus.com, robert stackowitz, a connecticut address where he was living. a 17 your sentence for robbery when he escaped a work camp in 1968. >>> turning a corner after civil unrest, ferguson has a new police chief. he is the first city's permanent black police chief. after working for the miami police department for 32 years, moss said he wants to turn around the ferguson pd, scrutiny after the shooting of michael brown in 2014. >>> wildlife officers made a shocking discovery during a routine stop. alligator parts scattered around a truck cab. that looks something out of a horror movie, including a foot in the dashboard. how is that possible? officers say the driver confessed to the killing of the gator a few days ago. the man was cited for the violation. okay. >> a little strange. >> can you find a better hiding place. out for a special race to comet rate queen elizabeth's 90th birthday, involving shetland ponies, named after one of the queen's successful racehorses. she has been an avid racing fan her entire life. >>> men and women from all over the worl

robert stackowitz has been living in this quiet down for decades, going unnoticed by authorities.'s until u.s. marshals knocked on his door last week. after spending nearly a week in a connecticut jail, his friends posted his bail late friday. >> it was the dumbest thing i've done in my life. >> reporter: he's been living with a secret for most of his adult life. >> you had a job, social security card, went to work, never had a problem. >> reporter: 50 years ago, he was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 17 years in a georgia prison for his part in an armed robbery. a mechanic by trade, he served time fixing school buses off site. >> i worked over there for quite a while. one day i left. simple as that. somebody gave me a ride to the atlanta airport. i got on a plane and flew home. >> reporter: just that easy? >> back then they didn't have terrorist checks. cindy and myself. >> reporter: he assumed the name robert gordon and settled in the tiny town of sherman where nobody knew his past. over 48 years he lived a quiet life working at car dealerships, teaching shop at a local hi

robert stackowitz is asking officials to commute his sentence he says going back to prison would amount to a death sentence. demarco morgan in danbury, connecticut and spoke to the former fugitive. demarco, what did he tell you? >> 71-year-old, robert stackwood says he can barely walk, battling heart disease, bladder cancer, kidney disease and diabetes. in his better days living a there mall life in connecticut. and teaching at the school behind me for two years. in his first television interclued, he told us that a trip back to georgia to finish his 17 year sentence would be fatal. we wanted to know how he was able to stay under the radar as long as he did? tell us about the day when you walked out of prison. >> somebody gave me a ride through the atlanta airport. i got on a plane and flew home. >> reporter: just that easy? >> back then they didn't have any -- any terrorist checks or -- or anything. >> reporter: nearly five decade later, you have managed to escape law enforcement. how did you do it? >> well, they were looking for me at the beginning. i knew that. because my mother, the

authorities catching up to a convicted armed robber who escaped prison in 1968. 71-year-old robert stackowitz is now asking a judge in georgia not order to him to return to prisons , citing his failing health and the fact that he spent decades living in connecticut and never got into trouble again. a weeklong manhunt is over in southern illinois after the suspect killed in a shootout that left the federal agent wounded. investigators say clint pendleton shot and wounded an officer during a traffic stop earlier this month. heather: calls to action from the magazine put out by al qaeda in the arabian and angela. the newest online edition of inspire magazine calling for hours to attack us business leaders. the magazine also featuring a former guantcamo bay detainee as a key leader in the organization. tom jocelyn is the senior fellow for the discussion of democracy and editor of a long war journal and he joins us with more information. so this obviously an indication that al qaeda has not gone away even though we've been focusing on the isis is what i call isis fever. we spoke with isis all the

state police arrested robert stackowitz at his home in connecticut today.he was serving 17 years for robbery in 1968 when he escaped from the hospital and prison work camp in carrollton good g according to authorities it wasn't until he applied for social security they discovered he was on the run. >> i knew robert quite well. he used to fix boats locally, and he was just a nice guy. everyone liked him. he was a big jolly old guy. >> stackowitz is currently being detained in connecticut and is expected to be sent back to georgia. >>> in canada people are failing the fort mcmurray fire chief a hero for coordinate ago practically flawless evacuation of more than 80,000 people. when a mass tiff wildfire threaten the city. that fire is now responsible for destroying more than 2,000 homes and buildings. the fire is still burning out of control non rain is in the forecast. officials expect it will take months to final put this monster of a fire out. >>> a special delivery on highway in maryland when a family welcomed a new baby into the world. amy tu wasn't due f