Man who faked death discovered

WEAVERVILLE, N.C., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A man who faked his drowning death two decades ago in Florida has been apprehended by North Carolina police during a traffic stop, officials said Thursday.

Since he faked his death in 1989, Bennie Wint acquired a common-law wife and another child in Marshall, N.C., CNN reported.

Wint told police he faked his death in Daytona Beach, Fla., because he was "paranoid" about his narcotics-related activity at the time, said Weaverville Police Sgt. Stacy Wyatt.

He was pulled over Saturday because of malfunctioning license plate lights. Wint told a police officer his name was James Sweet, but no information on the name was found in databases.

"I found it suspicious and believed it to be a false name," Wyatt said.

The officer arrested Wint on suspicion of driving without a license and giving false information, and booked him under the name "John Doe."

The suspect later admitted he was really Bennie Wint and that he had been on the run since 1989, police said.