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Arizona Fugitive Adalberto Rodriguez Captured in Mexico After Nine Years, Faces 50-Year Minimum
Adalberto Rodriguez, convicted in absentia of sexually abusing a family member under 12, was arrested in Jalisco where he played drums and worked with a music school serving elementary students. He was deported to Arizona and is held without bond in Pima County Jail.
A fugitive convicted of child sex crimes in Arizona was taken into custody in Mexico and returned to the United States on Tuesday, ending a nine-year manhunt, federal authorities said.
Adalberto Rodriguez, 45, fled Arizona in 2017 before he could stand trial on charges of sexually abusing a family member younger than 12, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. A Pima County Superior Court judge issued an arrest warrant after Rodriguez failed to appear at an April 2017 hearing. He was tried in absentia and found guilty of all charges in August 2023.
Prosecutors turned to the Arizona WANTED Violent Offender Task Force, which works with the Marshals Service, to track him down. Investigators eventually determined that Rodriguez had fled to the Mexican state of Jalisco, where he was playing drums in a band and producing music. He was also associated with a music school that provided lessons to elementary school students, the Marshals Service said.
Rodriguez was arrested Tuesday morning and deported to the U.S. later that day. He is being held without bond in the Pima County Jail while he awaits sentencing. He faces a minimum of 50 years in prison.
"Rodriguez fled the country to escape accountability for his crimes, but our commitment to finding him never wavered," Van Bayless, U.S. marshal for the District of Arizona, said in a news release. "His capture reflects the persistence of our investigators and the strong partnerships we share with law enforcement in Arizona and Mexico."
The investigation involved the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Pima County Attorney's Office, the U.S. Marshals Arizona WANTED Violent Offender Task Force, the Tucson Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service Mexican Foreign Field Office in Guadalajara, the SecretarÃa de Seguridad del Estado de Jalisco and the Instituto Nacional de Migración.
The case underscores the role of cross-border cooperation in pursuing suspects who flee to Mexico. For Pima County residents, it also closes a long chapter in a case involving the abuse of a child by a family member, a crime that advocates say often goes unreported and is difficult to prosecute when the accused disappears.
Rodriguez's sentencing date has not been set.