Ward was convicted of robbing a convenience store in Tampa, Fla., at gunpoint in 1977. He escaped from the Kissimmee Work Release Center in 1979. At that time, he went by Oscar Richardson.

The Southwest Missouri Fugitive Task Force arrested Ward, 61, on Saturday without incident. Officers got a tip about the fugitive and watched his home for awhile before arresting him.

Officials from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement say Ward moved to Missouri shortly after his escape and started a new life, changing his name and starting a family. Russell said Ward's family didn't know about his past.

"I feel bad for his family, especially this time of year," Sheriff Russell said.

Russell said Ward has a respected landscaping business that includes some prominent families in Taney County as its clients.

"It blew my mind, I couldn't believe it," Ward's neighbor, Calvin David said about the news. "You couldn't find a better neighbor."

"He was a good citizen," Sheriff Russell said. "No problems. Fit in well in Taney County.

Florida authorities plan to extradite Ward if he doesn't voluntarily waive that procedure. Extradition is a legal proceeding in which one governor asks another governor to petition a judge to order a wanted person returned to the first state.

Russell says Ward's name at birth was Oscar Eugene Ward. As a boy, he adopted his stepfather's name and was convicted of robbery in Florida as Oscar Richardson. When he moved to Missouri, he called himself Eugene Ward.