Girlfriend of fugitive captured now faces charge of her own

MILWAUKEE (WITI) — A fugitive, sought by U.S. Marshals was taken into custody last week, and now, his girlfriend is facing charges.

Jonnie Lopez

28-year-old Jonnie Lopez was taken into custody after his vehicle was spotted headed southbound on I-94 near 7 Mile Road, near the auto auction, on July 25th.

Lopez was wanted by U.S. Marshals since February.

Now, it appears his girlfriend, 20-year-old Veronica Ruiz will face a federal charge of harboring and concealing a fugitive.

If convicted, Ruiz could face up to five years in prison.

Authorities began searching for Lopez at the Juneau Village Towers apartments on July 23rd – near the intersection of Jackson and Juneau on Milwaukee’s lower East Side after a FOX6 viewer led authorities there.

Officials say Lopez escaped by climbing down from a seventh floor balcony to the third floor — a desperate descent beginning about 80 feet in the air.

Lopez was most recently featured on FOX6′s Wisconsin’s Most Wanted last week.

Marshals say Lopez has a criminal past involving gun, drugs and gang ties.

Lopez was scheduled to plead guilty to drug charges in March, but Marshals say that never happened. About a month beforehand, Lopez was involved in an incident on Milwaukee’s south side.

Authorities say Lopez and two others lured an individual to a towing lot with possible interest in vehicle titles. Police are looking into whether Lopez attempted to take the titles by force.

The potential victim fired into the air, scaring the men off. Shortly after the incident, authorities say Lopez vanished.

Officials say when he was arrested on July 25th, he had dyed his hair a lighter color and had attempted to use makeup to conceal a neck tattoo reading his last name: Lopez.