Child sex crimes suspect arrested in Arizona after spending over a decade on the run, WA sheriff says

MESA, Ariz. - A man who was wanted in Washington for his alleged role in a sex crimes case involving a teen has been arrested in the East Valley, according to sheriffs in one county in the State of Washington.

In a statement posted to their Facebook page on July 8, officials with the Stevens County Sheriff's Office say Robert Jennings Vandivier was arrested on July 2 in Mesa.

Investigators say an investigation into Vandivier began in June 2009, when they "received credible information that Vandivier had impregnated a 14-year-old girl."

Robert Jennings Vandivier (Courtesy: Stevens County Sheriffs Office)

"The victim gave birth to a child later that year, in December of 2009. Detectives had to wait for DNA lab results to confirm Vandivier was the father," read a portion of the statement. "An arrest warrant was issued for Vandivier's arrest in November 2012. But it was too late; Vandivier had vanished."

Officials say Vandivier was arrested by members of the United States Marshals. He is accused of child rape in the third degree.

"This is a case in which the allegations are of a 14-year-old child becoming pregnant, charged by this office in 2012 - at which time the defendant fled the jurisdiction, and the case has been outstanding for more than a decade. The defendant had previously successfully evaded law enforcement, and I look forward to the opportunity to finally seek justice for these crimes," wrote Stevens County Prosecuting Attorney Ericka George.