Omar August Pinson

Omar August Pinson (March 31, 1918 – October 20, 1997), also known as John Omar Pinson, was an American robber and murderer who was on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 1950.

Pinson, an FBI National Academy graduate, was a prisoner at Oregon State Penitentiary after being arrested August 28, 1950 at Pierre, South Dakota by South Dakota Highway Patrol. He had evaded capture after a shootout with police January 30, 1950, at Polson, Montana while burglarizing a hardware store. He became wanted in 1949 in eastern Washington and Idaho for burglary and was charged with unlawful flight September 7, 1949 when he crossed state lines after he escaped May 30, 1949 from the Oregon State Prison with a cellmate; he had been sentenced May 24, 1947 to life imprisonment at Oregon State Penitentiary for first degree murder. Pinson had been captured within 24 hours by the Oregon State Police and local officers at Ordnance, Oregon after he shot and fatally wounded Oregon State Police Officer Delmond Rondeauin April 15, 1947, in Hood River, Oregon after a burglary. He had been released from the Washington State Prison in 1945 after serving time since 1944 for burglary. He also served time at Missouri State Penitentiary for automobile tampering and the Eldora, Iowa State Reformatory on a charge of armed robbery. In 1975, Pinson, described as a "model parolee", later expressed regret for his crimes. He died in 1997.