A “serial child rapist” was arrested in Missouri after more than two decades on the lam, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Herman Carroll, 72, who posted bail in 2000 on allegations of child sex abuse out of Moultrie County Illinois, had since disappeared and failed to appear at a court hearing in 2001 that was linked to the case, according to a Monday statement from the Marshals Service.
Carroll was arrested Saturday in Branson, Missouri, authorities said.
Before he absconded, Carroll had been arrested July 3, 2000, in the alleged sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl.
In that case, he was charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, and criminal sexual assault, the Marshals said.
The Marshals had previously described the female victim as Carroll’s daughter.
Branson, Missouri, where Carroll, was arrested, is about 390 miles southwest of Moultrie County Illinois.
Carroll had previous convictions of sex offenses involving minors in 1983 and 1993, according to the Marshals.
It was not immediately known Wednesday afternoon if Carroll had retained an attorney. Carroll’s relatives could not be reached for comment.
On May 8, a Marshals task force received a “collateral lead” Carroll was most likely living in western Missouri. Carroll was arrested three days later. He was booked into the Taney County Jail in Missouri, and awaits extradition, the Marshals said.
Carroll was at the facility on no bond on Wednesday, according to jail records.
In a statement from June 2022, the Marshals offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Carroll’s capture.
Carroll was a carpenter and specialized in trim finishing in new construction, authorities had previous said. He was known to sell stained glass on the street, the Marshals said.
The Marshals said in 2022, Carroll may be hiding in homeless camps in Springfield, Missouri. Back then, the last confirmed sighting for him was at a park in Branson, Missouri, in 2012, according to the Marshals.
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