A missing boater from Andrews was found alive in Indiana with his girlfriend who first reported him missing.
It was believed Julius Nesbitt disappeared near Winyah Bay in Georgetown the day after Thanksgiving.
Nesbitt now faces a slew of charges after authorities say he faked his own drowning. Thousands of dollars were spent searching for him, not to mention the agony he put his family through.
News Channel 15 first spoke with Nesbitt's sister when word of his disappearance was still fresh and hopes of a return were high. "Just everybody keep an eye out for him. If anybody's out there just look for them," Debbie Hobgood said back in November after her brother went missing.
A month and half later, Nesbitt not only turned up alive and well, but he's facing a possible lifetime in prison.
From day one, Georgetown County Sheriff Lane Cribb says he suspected Nesbitt staged his disappearance.
"This one actually had charges, had a reason to be on the run and like i said from the very beginning it was odd the way it happen," Cribb said.
Nesbitt's girlfriend, Cynthia Powell, first reported him missing a day before he was due in court on drug charges and possesion of a stolen vehicle.
"He had told someone before this that he was not going back to jail no matter what it took," Cribb said.
Nearly 48 hours after Nesbitt disappeared, his boat was found a couple miles away from Winyah Bay.
Authorities say the way the boat was found and what was inside fueled their suspicions. "One shoe in it and some clothes in it and a billfold in it and just things like that just wasn't... if you fall out of a boat, you fall out of a boat," Cribb said.
Despite suspicions, the U.S. Coast Guard, Georgetown County Sheriff's Office, the Department of Natural Resources and other agencies spent thousands of dollars and hours of manpower searching for Nesbitt's body.
"At any given time we've had two aircraft up with the pilots and crew for those, with those aircraft, numerous boats everyday out in Winyah Bay and surrounding areas," said Steven Pop with the Department of Natural Resources.
Nesbitt and his girlfriend were picked up in Indiana Tuesday night, by the U.S. Marshals. They were found with $27,000 in counterfeit money and stolen property.
Nesbitt is still sitting in an Indiana jail. No word when he'll be brought back here to face charges.
Powell faces a misprision of a felony charge, which means she's accused of not reporting a felony in which she was involved.
