Police arrest suspect in taped rape
Police said late Monday that they had arrested Chester “Chet” Arthur Stiles, the man accused of videotaping himself while raping a 3-year-old girl.
Stiles, 37, had been the focus of a nationwide hunt since police identified him as the man who raped and sexually assaulted a girl in a homemade video that surfaced last month in the southern Nevada town of Pahrump.
Stiles was arrested during a routine traffic stop in Henderson, just outside Las Vegas, police said at a news conference. He was driving a Buick sedan with no license plates.
After further questioning, according to police officer Mike Dye, Stiles said, “I’m Chester Stiles, the guy you’re looking for.”
Stiles has been wanted since Oct. 5 on warrants issued for 21 felony charges in connection with the acts seen on the videotape including lewdness with a minor, sexual assault and attempted sexual assault.
He was booked into the Clark County Jail.
The girl, now 7, was found with her mother in Las Vegas on Sept. 28. She has been described as happy and healthy, with no memory of the 2003 encounter.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
