Staff Reports
A Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputy recall of a suspect in a child molesting case investigation years ago has led to the suspect’s arrest.
On Sept. 3, 2005, then Deputy (now Capt.) Dave Steinkoenig received a report about child molesting, with the suspect identified as Juan Carlos Avitia.
Deputy Jeff Tindell was the detective assigned to the case and on Jan. 6, 2006 a warrant was issued for Avitia’s arrest for Class A felony child molesting, with bond set at $450,000.
At that time, Avitia also had an active outstanding warrant (dated Sept. 19, 2003) for possession of methamphetamine, a Class C felony, deputies said.
After an unsuccessful attempt to locate Avitia, deputies were notified that he had fled to Mexico.
Recently, Steinkoenig was looking through Bartholomew County Jail booking photographs when he saw a familiar face. However, the name associated with the face was Carlos Esparza Avitia. Carlos Esparza Avitia had recently been captured crossing the border into Texas and, although he denied being Juan Carlos Avitia, fingerprints and photographs identified him as the man Steinkoenig had not forgotten about all these years later.
Juan Carlos Avitia, 37, Nuevo Ideal Durango, Mexico, was taken into custody on Oct. 31, at approximately 11 p.m. and is now in the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of child molesting and possession of methamphetamine.
“Sometimes people evade capture for many years”, said Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Major Chris Lane. “But that doesn’t mean that deputies don’t remember and continue looking for them — just as in this case.”
