U.S. marshals arrest sex offender hiding in Hollywood, agents say

Agents: Jack Trowbridge, 62, on run for 15 years

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Agents with the U.S. Marshals Service arrested a man in South Florida who they said has been on the run for more than a decade.

Jack Trowbridge, 62, is a convicted sex offender who agents said has been hiding out for 15 years. He was arrested Tuesday morning at a home just off McKinley Street and North 25th Avenue in Hollywood.

Trowbridge was convicted of assault with the intent to commit rape in Omaha, Nebraska in 1975. He served a couple of years in jail before being released. He was then convicted of attempted sexual assault on a child in 1997 and served six months in jail.

Trowbridge claims he never tried to sexually assault the child, and said the minor was a family friend that he slapped on the buttocks. Either way, he was convicted and never registered as a sex offender, which is required.

Local 10 News crime specialist John Turchin caught up with Trowbridge moments after the take-down, as agents placed Trowbridge in the back of a car.

"What have you been doing the last 15 years?" asked Turchin.

"I haven't been on the run anywhere," said Trowbridge. "I lived in Texas for 10 years. I worked in a steel factory. When it went belly up I came over here looking for work. There was no work. I had a heart attack, a stroke, and got put on disability. I've been living here quietly and peacefully. There is no problem. I don't understand what's going on."

Trowbridge was taken to the U.S. marshals office in Fort Lauderdale for processing and will be taken to the Palm Beach County jail. He is expected to appear before a West Palm Beach federal judge before being sent back to Nebraska. He is also wanted in Texas.

Meanwhile, the Hollywood home he has been living in for the past three-and-a-half years is registered for the homeless. The man who runs the home said he's never had anybody there who's been a sex offender.