San Diego
A 45-year-old man wanted by San Diego police in connection with child molestation charges was arrested as he stepped off a plane in Hawaii, police said.
Jefferson Freedom, who in 1985 was listed among the top 10 fugitives wanted in San Diego, had been sought on suspicion of child molestation since 1983.
“Freedom was known to frequent nude beaches” in various parts of the world, said Sgt. Gordon Redding, head of the police fugitive apprehension unit. “Through Interpol, the unit issued a lookout for Freedom’s passport.”
On Sunday, Freedom was turned away as an “undesirable alien” in Australia and took a flight to Honolulu, San Diego police spokesman Dave Cohen said.
Australian authorities contacted San Diego police, who in turn alerted police and customs officials in Hawaii, Cohen said.
Cohen said that when Freedom was arrested he was carrying what was described as child pornography.
The San Diego County district’s attorney’s office will seek Freedom’s extradition based on outstanding arrest warrants, Cohen said.
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