Benjamin Paddock
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Benjamin Hoskins Paddock Jr. (November 1, 1926 – January 18, 1998) was an American bank robber and con man who was on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list from 1969 to 1977. He was the father of Stephen Paddock, the perpetrator of the 2017 Las Vegas massacre.
Biography and criminal career edit
Paddock was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on November 1, 1926 to Benjamin Hoskins Paddock Sr. and Olga Emelia Elizabeth Paddock (née Gunderson). He served in the United States Navy as an S2 (Seaman Second Class) during World War II.
In 1946, he was convicted of ten counts of auto larceny and five counts of confidence game and was imprisoned at the Illinois State Penitentiary until 1951. In 1953, he was convicted of conspiracy in connection with a bad check passing operation and was again held at the Illinois State Penitentiary until August 1956. In one of his early arrests, he was found with a concealed revolver.
In the 1950s in Tucson, Arizona, he operated a service station where he sold used cars. He later sold garbage disposal units under the name of Arizona Disposer Company and was connected with the operation of a nightclub in Tucson. He married Dolores Hudson in 1952 and had 3 sons: Stephen (1953-2017), Patrick (b. 1957), Bruce (b. 1959) and Eric (b. 1960). In the late 1950s, Paddock volunteered with the Pima County Juvenile Probation Department and in 1959 was named special deputy to handle cases of wayward youths.
He robbed the Valley National Bank of Arizona in Phoenix of $11,210 on February 19, 1959, and of $9,285 on January 29, 1960. He robbed another branch of $4,620 on July 26, 1960. He was captured and then convicted for the third robbery in federal court in January 1961. During his arrest, he attempted to run down an FBI agent with his car. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In December 30, 1968, he escaped from prison. A warrant for his arrest was placed on February 3, 1969 and he became part of the FBI Top 10 Most Wanted. During his time as a fugitive, he worked as a contract trucker in Oregon under the name Bruce Warner Erickson. He was captured in 1977.