Arizona fugitive in child molestation case arrested in Iowa

PHOENIX — An Arizona fugitive charged with two counts of child molestation and other crimes was arrested Tuesday in Iowa, authorities said.

Austin Fiser, from Cottonwood, engaged in sexual activity with an 11-year-old girl and a 9-year-old girl in Rimrock in October 2018, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release Wednesday.

Fiser, 26, was also charged with indecent exposure, voyeurism and assault in 2019 for exposing himself and attempting to assault a female victim he followed to a secluded area on the Boynton Canyon Trail in Sedona, authorities said. After the victim got away, authorities said her boyfriend confronted Fiser, who was armed and threatened the couple.

The man wasn’t immediately found and became the subject of a silent witness manhunt, authorities said. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office subsequently arrested Fiser for the charges in January 2020.

Fiser fled the area after being arrested and failed to show up to a January 2022 court date, authorities said.

Felony warrants were issued for his arrest in February, authorities said, with information indicating Fiser had returned to his birth state of Iowa.

He was taken into custody at a residence in Pella, Iowa, with the assistance of local law enforcement and the U.S. Marshal’s Office, who was holding Fiser until he could be extradited back to Yavapai County.

“The quick work of our detectives in identifying the likely whereabouts of the suspect, and the cooperation of Pella Police Department and the U.S. Marshal’s Office, has allowed for this dangerous felon to be brought to justice for his serious crimes,” Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes said in the release.

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