Child sex crimes suspect arrested in Arizona after spending over a decade on the run, WA sheriff says

Child sex crimes suspect arrested in Arizona

The suspect, identified as Robert Jennings Vandivier, is accused by authorities in eastern Washington of having sex with a girl who was 14 at the time. The alleged victim later gave birth to a child.

MESA, Ariz. - A man who was wanted in Washington for his alleged role in a sex crimes case involving a teen has been arrested in the East Valley, according to sheriffs in one county in the State of Washington.

In a statement posted to their Facebook page on July 8, officials with the Stevens County Sheriff's Office say Robert Jennings Vandivier was arrested on July 2 in Mesa.

Investigators say an investigation into Vandivier began in June 2009, when they "received credible information that Vandivier had impregnated a 14-year-old girl."

Robert Jennings Vandivier (Courtesy: Stevens County Sheriffs Office)

"The victim gave birth to a child later that year, in December of 2009. Detectives had to wait for DNA lab results to confirm Vandivier was the father," read a portion of the statement. "An arrest warrant was issued for Vandivier's arrest in November 2012. But it was too late; Vandivier had vanished."

Officials say Vandivier was arrested by members of the United States Marshals. He is accused of child rape in the third degree.

"This is a case in which the allegations are of a 14-year-old child becoming pregnant, charged by this office in 2012 - at which time the defendant fled the jurisdiction, and the case has been outstanding for more than a decade. The defendant had previously successfully evaded law enforcement, and I look forward to the opportunity to finally seek justice for these crimes," wrote Stevens County Prosecuting Attorney Ericka George.