‘America's Most Wanted' fugitive caught in Burke Co. after 8 years on the run

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — A fugitive and gang member featured on “America's Most Wanted” was captured in Burke County last week after being on the run for more than eight years.

Clarence Henderson was arrested last Thursday in Connelly Springs by United States marshals, authorities said, and had been living as a handyman under the name Chris Danjue.

Officials said marshals identified Henderson by his tattoos when they stopped him; those tattoos include a shield on his neck marking his affiliation with the Aryan Nation.

"Initially, he denied his identity; but subsequently, he admitted he was Clarence Henderson," said Kelly Nesbit, a U.S. Marshal with the western district of North Carolina.

Neighbor Billy Huntley and his wife Judy live a few hundred yards from where Henderson resided in Burke County, and said they were surprised to hear about their neighbor’s affiliation with a white supremacist gang.

"You hear about it happening on TV all the time, but you don't think it would be in your neighborhood," Billy Huntley said.

Henderson went off the radar in 2009 when he was scheduled for a hearing in Montana on a charge of possessing a weapon as a convicted felon, but never showed up for court. His disappearance led to him being featured on the TV show “America’s Most Wanted.”

Officials said it wasn't the weapons charge that concerned marshals when he fled -- Henderson had a history of robbery, forgery and violence. Authorities added that he's trained in martial arts and was known to fight in cage matches.

"An individual with a history of violence or a charge of violence brings more concern to us in the apprehension," Nesbit said.

Nesbit wouldn't discuss the clue that led them to Burke County, but said Henderson’s work doing day labor for cash helped him stay under the radar for years.

"You don't have no trail to follow, you know, like credit cards or working at a regular place like everybody else,” Huntley said. “Under the table."

Officials said Henderson lived with a woman in Connelly Springs, but she is not facing charges.

The U.S. Marshals credited its violent offender task force and the Burke County Sheriff's Office for helping to capture Henderson.

Henderson is currently being held in the McDowell County Jail.

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