UPDATE: Sex offender, caught in Knox County, extradited to Georgia

After nearly seven years on the run, a convicted sex offender, who was discovered living under an assumed name in West Knoxville, was extradited to Georgia Wednesday.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Sex Offender Registry, Larry William Whitley was convicted of incest and child molestation back in 1994 in Douglas County, Ga.

Georgia authorities say, after serving time in prison, Whitley went on the run, eventually ending up in West Knoxville under the assumed name of Robert Moon.

"Never really met him, never really talked to him," said Brian Campbell, one of Whitley's neighbors at the Avalon West Apartments off Broome Road. "I'd pass by him a couple times coming up the stairs and whatnot. I'd see him around but never really talked to him."

Another neighbor, Roseanna Abrao, said she had only seen him once, when he was on his way to the pool carrying children's toys.

Another neighbor who learned of the arrest from 10News broke down into tears and said Whitley had a daughter and a wife or girlfriend who is expecting.

On Tuesday, authorities with the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, along with the cooperation of other agencies, tracked Whitley to the Walbrook Drive Wal-Mart, where he worked.

"We made sure they had the building outside covered, and they went to attempt to surreptitiously locate him, at which point, he realized something was up," said James Ergas, with the task force. "He saw them, and he attempted to flee the store. They ended up chasing him through the store, and I believe he wrecked into a clothing rack."

Ergas said his agency has been working to find Whitley for almost exactly two years after authorities enlisted the help of the task force.

Whitley was wanted on a probation violation warrant, issued on Dec. 18, 2002, and on a warrant for failing to register as a sex offender. That warrant was issued Nov. 5, 2003.

Ergas said Tuesday's arrest was only possible because of the cooperation of multiple agencies over the many years of the investigation.

"Whenever those types of people are taken off the street, it's a good feeling because you're pretty certain there's going to be fewer victims out there because they're caught," Ergas said.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story said Whitley had been living under an assumed name for 8 years, based on information from the sheriff's office. The public information has since been clarified to indicate that Whitley has been on the run for nearly 7 years.