Charles Joseph Carter Escapee from Mineral County Jail

A significant fact in Carter’s case was his sensational FBI record. Despite the abundance of crimes witch, he had committed the man had an amazingly agreeable personality for a criminal of his scope is how he was described.

On May 17, 1961, a little after midnight, Carter  was caught casing various room at the El Capitan Hotel, as well as customers moving to and from their rooms. He was also noticed from a second-floor room at the El Capitan Casino checking door handles of the motel. After he entered a room, a Mineral County Deputy Sheriff approached him, and he pretended to be drunk. He staggered toward the deputy with a bottle in one hand, slurring while speaking, then stuck a gun in the deputy’s rib. He marched the deputy a few doors way to his own room and woke up a 15 years old boy and ordered the boy to keep a gun on the him, while he got some things together. They both left after assaulting the officer and sole a car in Babbitt. He than ran through a roadblock in Schurz and both were captured in the backroads of Yerington. And returned to Mineral County Jail, which now is the old historical Esmerelda/ Mineral County Courthouse. The youth was sent to Elko Reform School for Boys.

While in the jail, he and two other prisoners escaped through a hole that they dug out thorough the bricks of the jail. A week later all three were picked up In Fallon. After he was picked up the first time his car was impounded, and many suspicious items were found in the vehicle, such as a large amount of jewelry and other items. Which lead to the belief that he may have been in the robbery business.

While awaiting trial, he escaped again. This time through a steel door that went from the jail to the outside. During hot weather the steel door was left open and a steel screen door was kept shut and locked with a heavy padlock. Carter somehow obtained a hack saw and managed to saw a hole through the steel screen door. He then escaped and hid in the Lutheran Church for a few days. He was found by members of the church and he claimed that he was drunk and staggered in there. He had changed clothes while there and left his jail uniform in the church basement. He then went to a home a few blocks away and hid in there for several days while people were away. He then disappeared and was not found until 6 months later in Michigan. He was then returned to Hawthorne.

As it turns out Carter had been arrested several times in the past for Breaking and Entering and Robbery. Many times, he was questioned and let go. He did serve time in San Quentin and in Alcatraz. He also escaped once before from Laramie Wyoming Jail. This was just part of doing business for him.

Carter had $2000.00 cash on him when he was arrested. He did not want to spend any of it on a lawyer, so he represented himself. He was found guilty and sent to the Nevada State Petitionary in Carson City for 5- 7 years. While he was there a he filed an appeal on the same case. He was found guilty of Robbery and found not guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. He was not heard from again. I could not find a record of his death.



References are Mineral County Independent News

Carson City Prison Archives