U.S. Marshals captured a fugitive in Cerritos on Tuesday who disappeared after posting bond in a child molestation case, authorities said.
Marco Antonio Mendoza-Marin, 42, of Norwalk is charged with nine felony charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of then-12-year-old girl between 2014 and 2016, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a written statement.
Orange County sheriff’s deputies arrested him in November of 2016 after the victim’s father learned of the alleged crimes and reported them, prosecutors said. Medoza-Marin was released from custody pending trial after posting $100,000 bail six days after his arrest.
But he failed to show up for a January court hearing in his case, officials said. An arrest warrant was issued, and authorities began seeking the defendant as a fugitive.
The search came to an end Tuesday, when U.S. Marshals tracked Mendoza-Marin to Cerritos and arrested him while serving a warrant, district attorney’s officials said.
Mendoza-Marin is scheduled to appear in Orange County Superior Court Thursday for an arraignment hearing.
Bail for Mendoza-Marin, described as a car salesman, has been set at $1 million, Orange County booking records show. If convicted as charged, he could face life in state prison.
