Fugitive caught after 8 months on the run

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Fort Myers police arrested fugitive 20-year-old Cristobal Martinez Saturday night during a planned traffic stop.

Police said they pulled over a car that Martinez was in around 10:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Ortiz Avenue. Officers said Martinez had marijuana on him.

Martinez escaped from the Opa Locka Community Release Center in Miami-Dade County May 26, 2014. He had been on the run for almost eight months.

“Our officers had been diligently working the case since Martinez has ties to the Fort Myers area. Their efforts paid off,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant Victor Medico.

Martinez had arrest warrants for escape stemming from original charges of burglary, trafficking in stolen property and false information to a pawnbroker. He was charged with two additional crimes Saturday.