NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI) — The former Rhode Island anesthesiologist who spent more than 20 years on the run to avoid being prosecuted for sexual assault has been given permission to access his frozen assets, but only so he can hire an attorney to represent him.
Ronald Fischer, 70, was taken into custody on July 16 after his boat was spotted about an hour off the coast of New Jersey. The East Greenwich man vanished without a trace back in 2005 while on trial for first-degree sexual assault.
Investigators learned of Fischer’s whereabouts from an online sleuth earlier this month. That tip sent them to New York, where Fischer was believed to be operating a 56-foot sailboat registered under the alias Richard Graydon…