A man once convicted of murder and released on parole was tracked down and arrested after a dramatic multi-agency manhunt involving SWAT teams, high-tech surveillance, and a helicopter pursuit through Alaska’s rugged terrain.
A federal jury convicted George Moises Romero Jr., 37, on Wednesday of being a felon in possession of a firearm and a violent felon in possession of body armor.
Romero, a name long known to Alaska law enforcement, was originally sentenced to 24 years in prison after a 2006 conviction in Anchorage Superior Court for Second-Degree Murder, Second-Degree Robbery, and Third-Degree Assault.
Despite the gravity of his crimes, Romero was granted discretionary parole and released in 2019 — a decision now under renewed scrutiny.
But his freedom was short-lived. On June 4, 2024, a parole violation warrant was issued for his arrest. The Fairbanks Area Criminal Suppression Unit launched a manhunt to apprehend the convicted killer, knowing he posed a serious risk to public safety.
Law enforcement officials used real-time cell phone tracking to try to locate Romero, only for him to slip through their fingers at the last moment. As the SWAT team prepared to execute a search warrant at his suspected location, Romero vanished, fleeing surveillance and relocating to Alaska’s remote Goldstream Valley.
Undeterred, the Alaska State Troopers deployed a helicopter equipped with high-powered cameras on June 6, 2024. They located a vehicle associated with Romero and tracked its movements from the sky.
Then came the moment that played out like something from a Hollywood thriller: The helicopter team watched as Romero was dropped off at the edge of the woods, carrying camping equipment and preparing to disappear into the wilderness.
But the woods would not be his escape. Ground teams moved in, and Troopers intercepted Romero before he could vanish. He was wearing body armor and carrying two loaded firearms, with extra magazines and ammunition strapped to his person. A third firearm and more ammunition were found in a duffle bag he carried.
The case was a joint effort by the Alaska State Troopers, the Fairbanks Area Narcotics Team (FANT), the FBI Anchorage Field Office, the Fairbanks Resident Agency, and the ATF Anchorage Field Office.
Romero’s conviction followed a three-day federal trial in Fairbanks. Prosecutors Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek and Antitrust Division Trial Attorneys David Bernhardt and Lauren Weed led the case.
Now back in custody and facing a likely lengthy federal sentence, Romero’s case is prompting new conversations about parole and public safety in Alaska.
