A former North Carolina police chief who allegedly faked his own death to avoid prosecution on nearly 90 felony charges was arrested Thursday after authorities found him hiding in a creek.

Anthony Spivey, 36, who was previously the Chadbourn Police Chief, faces dozens of criminal charges after being arrested in April 2021. He’s been accused of repeatedly raiding the Chadbourn Police Department’s evidence room, stealing a variety of narcotics, thousands of dollars in cash and firearms.

In June of 2021 he was also charged with embezzling $8,000 meant for a family who lost a child to leukemia.

Spivey was found at his aunt’s apartment in Loris, South Carolina, where he was reportedly trying to hide, his body submerged in a creek behind the apartment complex. Authorities spotted him shortly after midnight, and after a brief chase and struggle, took the former top cop into custody, WECT-TV reported

Brenda Rowele, Spivey’s aunt, disputes the claim that she was harboring a fugitive. She told the TV station she didn’t know her nephew had missed a court appearance on Monday — but that he had called her on Sunday saying he was having marriage problems and was thinking about killing himself. Rowele talked him out of it and invited him to spend a few days with her.

Spivey has a total of 40 outstanding warrants for failure to appear for a total bond of $1 million. He not only ditched a recent court case claiming to be sick with Covid, but skipped a second court appearance on Monday, when he staged his death.

The ex-cop parked his truck near a boat launch on the Lumber River and left a suicide note for his family, WWAY-TV reported. Dive teams searched for Spivey for several days, but after authorities watched surveillance footage of him leaving the truck behind it became apparent the whole scene was staged.

His attempt to fake his own death cost tax payers $64,205, according to WWAY-TV.

His most recent bond was set at $5 million, and an additional obstruction of justice charge was added to his list.

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