Vargo and girlfriend arrested in Myrtle Beach, SC

The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read
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Jul. 21—WILKES-BARRE — Acting United States Marshal William Pugh Thursday announced the arrest of Robert Maverick Vargo, a 25- year-old man wanted for escaping the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on Sunday morning.

On July 17, the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office investigated the escape of Vargo at the prison in Wilkes-Barre. The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force was asked to assist in locating and apprehending him.

Yesterday, on July 20, at approximately 4:30 p.m., members of the fugitive task force arrested Vargo and his girlfriend, Amanda Saxer, in the Barefoot Landing area near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Vargo was remanded to the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway, SC, pending extradition to Pennsylvania. Ms. Saxer will face hindering apprehension charges related to this escape and she also is being housed at this facility in South Carolina.

During the investigation the USMS worked closely with the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office, the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, and the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department.

Acting U.S. Marshal Pugh stated, "I commend the efforts of local law enforcement and our fugitive task force here and in South Carolina. It is my hope that the communities of Northeast Pennsylvania find some measure of comfort knowing that Mr. Vargo is back in custody."

Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce thanked the U.S. Marshals Service for their work in tracking county prison escapee Robert Vargo and his girlfriend and escape accomplice Amanda Saxer.

"Their flight nearly 700 miles from facing their charges shows both their determination to avoid his charges and law enforcement's determination to ensure accused criminals face the justice system," said DA Sanguedolce. "Now that they forced our taxpayers to fund their return to our jurisdiction, our office will be calling on the court to hold them without bail until their fate is decided by a jury. Clearly, they cannot be trusted to appear to answer for their charges."

The USMS Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania is comprised of 22 state, county, and local police agencies, including: the Pennsylvania State Police; the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole; the Wilkes-Barre Police Department; the Kingston Police Department; the Bradford County Sheriff's Office; and the Scranton Police Department — all of whom participated in this investigation.