{"id":360209,"date":"2026-06-14T09:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T09:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/360209\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T09:31:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T09:31:12","slug":"california-child-moelster-caught-in-arizona-after-10-months-on-the-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/360209\/","title":{"rendered":"California child moelster caught in Arizona after 10 months on the run"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A convicted <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/06\/10\/us-news\/small-california-town-revolts-as-they-uncover-plans-to-home-sex-fiend-on-their-street\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">California child molester<\/a> who vanished before sentencing and remained a fugitive for nearly 10 months has finally been captured, reigniting criticism of a justice system that allowed him to stay free after a jury found him guilty.<\/p>\n<p>Carl Cacconie, 52, was arrested Saturday in Scottsdale, Arizona, after authorities tracked him down following a lengthy manhunt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A convicted California child molester who vanished before sentencing and remained a fugitive for nearly 10 months has finally been captured, reigniting criticism of a justice system that allowed him to stay free after a jury found him guilty. El Dorado County District Attorney<\/p>\n<p>Carl Cacconie, 52, was arrested Saturday in Scottsdale, Arizona, after authorities tracked him down following a lengthy manhunt.\u00a0 KCRA 3<\/p>\n<p>Members of the FBI Phoenix Desert Hawk Fugitive Task Force took him into custody without incident around 9 a.m.<\/p>\n<p>The arrest comes after Cacconie disappeared while awaiting punishment for six counts of lewd acts with a child younger than 14 years old.<\/p>\n<p>A jury convicted him on July 17, 2025, in El Dorado County, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ElDoradoDA\/videos\/%F0%9D%90%85%F0%9D%90%8E%F0%9D%90%91-%F0%9D%90%88%F0%9D%90%8C%F0%9D%90%8C%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%83%F0%9D%90%88%F0%9D%90%80%F0%9D%90%93%F0%9D%90%84-%F0%9D%90%91%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%8B%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%80%F0%9D%90%92%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%89%F0%9D%90%AE%F0%9D%90%A5%F0%9D%90%B2-%F0%9D%9F%90%F0%9D%9F%8F-%F0%9D%9F%90%F0%9D%9F%8E%F0%9D%9F%90%F0%9D%9F%93%F0%9D%90%89%F0%9D%90%AE%F0%9D%90%AB%F0%9D%90%B2-%F0%9D%90%82%F0%9D%90%A8%F0%9D%90%A7%F0%9D%90%AF%F0%9D%90%A2%F0%9D%90%9C%F0%9D%90%AD%F0%9D%90%AC-%F0%9D%90%82%F0%9D%90%9A%F0%9D%90%AB%F0%9D%90%A5-%F0%9D%90%96-%F0%9D%90%82%F0%9D%90%9A%F0%9D%90%9C%F0%9D%90%9C%F0%9D%90%A8%F0%9D%90%A7%F0%9D%90%A2%F0%9D%90%9E-%F0%9D%90%A8%F0%9D%90%9F-%F0%9D%90%8C%F0%9D%90%AE%F0%9D%90%A5%F0%9D%90%AD%F0%9D%90%A2%F0%9D%90%A9%F0%9D%90%A5%F0%9D%90%9E-%F0%9D%90%82%F0%9D%90%A8%F0%9D%90%AE%F0%9D%90%A7%F0%9D%90%AD\/750283707374579\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">but despite the guilty verdict, he remained out of custody<\/a> on $1 million bail pending sentencing.<\/p>\n<p>As part of his release conditions, Cacconie surrendered his passport and was fitted with a monitoring device. Authorities said the device stopped transmitting on Aug. 17, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>He was last seen in San Francisco on Aug. 22, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia&#8217;s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>His sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 25, 2025. <\/p>\n<p>Instead of appearing in court, Cacconie vanished.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The case quickly became a flashpoint for critics who argue California\u2019s criminal justice system gives dangerous offenders too much freedom even after conviction.<\/p>\n<p>FBI Sacramento Field Offices. Google<\/p>\n<p>Months after Cacconie fled, the FBI issued a warrant for his arrest on May 14, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>After another month of searching, authorities located him in Scottsdale, bringing the fugitive case to an end.<\/p>\n<p>Cacconie is expected to appear in court in Scottsdale before being extradited to California.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n<p>California Post News: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCaliforniaPost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@CaliforniaPost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">X<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@thecaliforniapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Vb6a2IV1NCrL6q2AWq0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">WhatsApp<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">LinkedIn<\/a><br \/>California Post Sports <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capostsports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/capostsports\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CaliforniaPostSports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">X<\/a><br \/>California Post  <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Opinion<\/a> <br \/>California Post Newsletters: <a href=\"https:\/\/email.nypost.com\/#california-post\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Sign up here!<\/a><br \/>California Post App: <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Download here!<\/a><br \/>Home delivery: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.californiapost.com\/defaultCAP\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up here!<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><br \/><\/a>Page Six Hollywood: <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/hollywood-signup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Once returned, he will face sentencing for his convictions as well as additional charges connected to his disappearance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe never stopped fighting for justice in this case,\u201d El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson said.<\/p>\n<p>El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson. eldoradocounty.ca.gov<\/p>\n<p> \u201cWe are deeply grateful to our federal partners, whose collaboration was invaluable in locating and apprehending Cacconie. While nothing can erase the harm caused, we hope today\u2019s outcome offers a measure of peace to Cacconie\u2019s survivor and family, knowing that he will now finally be held accountable and sentenced for his crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fallout from the case has already reached Sacramento.<\/p>\n<p>State Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) has pointed to the case as the chief reason for legislation that would strip judges of <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/26\/us-news\/gavin-newsom-faces-outrage-as-old-child-rapist-walks-free\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">discretion in similar cases<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal would require anyone convicted of severe child sex crimes to be jailed immediately after a jury verdict, eliminating post-conviction bail.<\/p>\n<p>Pressure has also mounted on the judiciary.<\/p>\n<p>In May 2026, just weeks before Cacconie\u2019s arrest, the victim\u2019s family filed a formal complaint against Judge Michael McLaughlin with the California Commission on Judicial Performance.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A convicted California child molester who vanished before sentencing and remained a fugitive for nearly 10 months has&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,17285,4182,83232,3586],"class_list":["post-360209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-fbi-investigations","tag-metro","tag-sexual-predators","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/360210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}