Vehicular Homicide Suspect Who Fled House Arrest in 2013 Found in Spain
The parents of the victim had been searching for the alleged killer online.
— -- A three-year manhunt that crossed oceans has come to an end as Chris Ponce, a man from Tampa, Florida, who fled house arrest after being charged with vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter, has been arrested by police in Spain.
In July of 2012, Ponce allegedly drove into oncoming traffic on I-275 in Florida, killing 20-year-old William Angel. His family joined forces with authorities in the effort to find him.
A 2015 report in the Tampa Bay Times described the relentless effort Angel's family devoted to finding the alleged killer of their son.
“There are almost 400 social media sites,” Wade Angel, the father of the victim said in the report. “I am a member of almost every one of them.”
The family created a website, www.findchrisponce.com, devoted to tracking down clues about Ponce's whereabouts. A family-hosted Facebook page, Find Chris Ponce, has over 3,000 likes.
"Early in the morning on 7/19/2012, William and his two friends Jay and Rob were driving Northbound on I-275 just North of downtown near the I-4, I-275 interchange. Christopher Ponce (22), a man with 10 prior citations since the age of 16 including a DUI charge and driving with a suspended license, charged with driving while under the influence Southbound in the Northbound lanes, crashed into my little brother's Mustang, killing him and seriously injuring Jay and Rob. Chris was placed on house arrest in the custody of his mother. In May 2013, he escaped from house arrest after cutting off his GPS tracking anklet and has been missing ever since," the page states in its About section.
Sgt. Steve Gaskins of the Florida Highway Patrol released a statement today acknowledging the arrest of Ponce that suggested his return to the U.S. might take months.
"Spanish Police have located and arrested Christopher Ponce. Extradition has begun and is expected to take several months," Gaskins said in the statement.
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