Post by Captain on Nov 6, 2017 21:17:18 GMT
So hard to say in my opinion but if I had to gamble on it I'm going to speculate that he did not go to prison. I wouldn't be surprised if he was charged with something that wouldn't necessarily connect him to the EAR/ONS series but was enough that he saw he wasn't truly above being caught by LE for any type of crime yet minor enough to not result in jail time. Even if he wasn't actually charged with anything or even questioned by LE for something related/unrelated to the EAR/ONS crimes it's possible something spooked him & caused a bout of paranoia. Family surely is another possible factor. My guess is his absence is due to a host of multiple factors. I also wouldn't be surprised if it boiled down to a classic case of "the thrill is gone" so he decided to simply stop and put it behind him for awhile.
I also don't believe it is wise to fully dismiss the possibility that he simply changed his mo and/or changed strike zones. Changing locations surely worked for him for quite sometime during his EAR to ONS transition. The mystery and infinite possibilities behind this case is so attractive yet frustrating!!
I agree with almost all of what you said, especially the possibility that he changed behavior and showed up in other areas. I often wonder what kind of jurisdiction the FBI actually has, unless they suspect he crossed state lines at some point.
In regards to prison/jail, I find it very hard to believe with the shear volume of illegal activities that he engaged in, that he didn't spend time behind bars somewhere, at some point. He had some very close calls that we know about, and eventually your luck is going to run out when you are involved in that much prowling.
The reason I can believe he didn't spend time in prison, even if he caught charges, is because of how the legal system often treats minor offenses and certain offenders especially in years prior. Many times we hear of serial killers from the past who had multiple violent offenses on their record yet spend little to no jail time for those charges only to go on to commit a series of serial killings. Granted, it appears 'slaps on the wrist' for the types of crimes EAR committed such as breaking & entering, stalking, & even sexual assaults seem to become less common as each decade passes but look at the weak punishments handed out for those crimes in the 60's, 70's, & 80's. I never said he didn't get caught for something. I just feel that it's possible he was simply given a reduced charge & probation for example that would left him out of prison but caused him to consider taking a cool-off period.
That said, I also wouldn't be surprised if he indeed spent majority of that absence in prison.