Female Fugitive Arrested After 19 Years on the Lam

A woman who escaped from an Idaho prison facility nearly 20 years ago has been arrested in South Dakota, where she had been living under an assumed name, authorities said.

Rhonda Blake, 57, was picked up at a home in Rapid City last week, according to the Idaho Department of Correction.

She had been considered a fugitive since she walked away from a prison work center on Christmas Eve in 1998.

In 1997, Blake was sentenced to 30 months of probation for possession of a controlled substance. She violated the terms of her probation and was ordered to spend 180 days in a Boise prison facility that allowed inmates to work in the community during the day.

Blake was also wanted in South Dakota for a 2009 misdemeanor drunk-driving arrest. After that charge is resolved, Blake will be extradited to Idaho.

The Ada County prosecutor will determine whether Blake will face charges upon her return, corrections spokesman Jeff Ray told InsideEdition.com Wednesday.

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