Fugitive captured in 2002 child molestation

A 59-year-old man who had fled Sarasota eight years ago to avoid trial on charges he molested a 12-year-old girl has been captured in Mexico.

Lester Washer was arrested for assaulting the girl in December 2002 inside a Target store.

New leads pointed the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals to Texas, Kentucky and eventually Mexico, where Washer was found working on a golf course.

Mexican police took him into custody Monday and turned him over to authorities in Houston.

Washer waived extradition and will be returned to Florida for prosecution.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].