A US Army soldier who deserted in 2000 was arrested last week in Indiana after living with a fake identity there for nearly two decades.

The man, who went by Robert Eugene Bowmen, lived in an unassuming apartment in Clinton, Indiana, worked as a dishwasher at an Italian restaurant and walked everywhere to avoid obtaining a driver’s license, according to the Indianapolis Star.

But police uncovered his identity while interviewing him last month about a fight with a co-worker. They eventually found his real name, Robert Eugene Brodbeck, and an 18-year-old warrant for deserting the Army.

Officers knew he was lying when the name he initially gave them didn’t show up in police databases, the report said. Brodbeck, 46, then broke down and told police his real name.

“He worked jobs in things where he was paid in cash,” Larry Keller, a dispatcher and records clerk for the Clinton Police Department, told the Star. “Nothing that ever required a Social Security number. He lived in a low-rent apartment. He walked everywhere and never had a driver’s license. He was really no trouble.”

He had voluntarily gone to the police station to talk about the workplace incident in the sleepy western Indiana town with just under 5,000 residents. He was also wanted in Texas for eluding police and failing to appear in court, the Star reported.

Brodbeck is being held in Vermillion County Jail, awaiting extradition by the US Marshall’s Service, WTWO reported.

Details of Brodbeck’s desertion were not immediately clear.

There were 4,234 enlisted desertions from the Army in 2000, according to a 2002 military report.