CHARLES TOWN, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Members of the U.S. Marshals Service Mountain State Fugitive Task Force arrested a man in Charles Town earlier this month who was wanted in Texas on an outstanding warrant for aggravated sexual assault of a child dating back to 1998.
Authorities said Santos Calderon, an El Salvador native who is in the United States illegally, was taken into custody at the Somerset Village Shopping Plaza.
Calderon is wanted by authorities in Galveston County, Texas, in connection with an alleged aggravated sexual assault of a child stemming from an incident in September 1998. He has been charged locally as a fugitive from justice and is currently being held at the Eastern Regional Jail.
During the arrest, law enforcement officers also took six other individuals into custody after they attempted to evade authorities. Officials said the six individuals were in the country illegally and were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, officials in Galveston contacted the Mountain State Fugitive Task Force on Dec. 3 requesting assistance after developing information that Calderon might be in the Charles Town area.
Task force investigators later determined that Calderon frequently visited the Somerset Village Shopping Plaza, where he was ultimately located and arrested.
“This case proves that fugitives eluding law enforcement can only be on the run so long before their luck runs out,” said Terry Moore, Acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of West Virginia.
“This fugitive committed the alleged crimes 27 years ago and over 1,300 miles from where he was eventually captured. I’m pleased our task force was able to locate Calderon, and I hope his arrest brings closure to the victim and Galveston community.”
Multiple agencies assisted with the operation, including the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Charles Town Police Department, Martinsburg Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
