Man accused of faking identity faces attempted murder charge from 1994 in Madison County
A man wanted on charges of attempted murder and home invasion 30 years ago in Madison County has been arrested and accused of living under a stolen identity in Michigan, authorities said Friday.
Robert D. Mason III, 53, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was charged Friday with one felony count of identity theft, according to a news release from the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
In 1994, Mason was charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of home invasion. The charges allege Mason shot a man four times and used force to enter an Alton woman’s home on May 15, 1994.
“The identity theft case was investigated by Alton Police after an Alton resident made a report that someone had used his identity in a financial transaction,” the news release states. “The investigation resulted in Mason being identified as a suspect. Alton Police, along with U.S. Marshals Service, recently took Mason into custody in Kalamazoo.”
Mason was being held in the Madison County Jail on Friday.
A defense attorney listed for Mason could not be reached for comment Friday.
If convicted of the identity theft charge, Mason faces up to a 15-year sentence.
“The charge alleges that Mason knowingly used the personal identifying information of another person to obtain credit and property under the victim’s name, with the value of the credit and property being between $10,000 and $100,000,” the news release states.
The attempted murder and home invasion charges are each punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Mason could not be located after those charges were filed in 1994 but they remain pending.
The Madison County State’s Attorney who filed the charges against Mason in 1994 was the late William R. Haine, the father of Tom Haine, who is the current state’s attorney.
“I commend Alton Police for their diligent investigation and their commitment to pursuing justice, no matter how long it takes,” Tom Haine said in a statement.
Prosecutors have filed a pretrial detention petition asking for Mason to be held in jail until his trial. A hearing date has not been set for this request.