An alleged child sexual assault fugitive was captured Sunday in Colorado after four years on the run.
Authorities say Paul Sandoval, 62, had been avoiding prosecution since March 15, 2021, when he learned a warrant was out for his arrest and then fled into the mountains. Sandoval is accused of tying up his girlfriend’s 8-year-old daughter and raping her in a shed on his property in 2021 after being asked to babysit, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Marshals Service said it determined Sandoval was in Alamosa County after he broke into a vehicle and home in the area last August. He had also been recorded by surveillance devices armed with a rifle.
The Marshals Service began a manhunt last week with state and local agencies and announced Sunday Sandoval was taken into custody on Blanca Peak, the fourth-highest summit in the Rockies, in the southeastern region of the state in “rugged mountain terrain.”
No other details about the capture were released.
“This arrest brings closure to a four-year search for a dangerous fugitive,” Alamosa County Sheriff Robert Jackson said in the release. “The terrain was not easy, and the conditions made this operation especially difficult.
“We want to express our gratitude and thanks to the U.S. Marshals Service and all of the other agencies involved that came to assist in this manhunt. We couldn’t have done it without their help.”
Sandoval is being held at the Alamosa County Jail and is set for arraignment Monday.
