SANTA ROSE BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A self-identified “sovereign citizen” wanted for crimes against children is in custody after the U.S. Marshals tracked him down in Florida.
According to deputies with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Pablo Rocco Forenza was apprehended early Friday morning at a home in Mussett Bayou Court in Santa Rosa Beach.
The sheriff’s office, along with the U.S. Marshals Task Force say they executed a search warrant at 5:30 a.m. to take Forenza into custody on nationwide extradition warrants stemming from a Grand Junction, Colorado, case.
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He faces several counts, including sexual assault on a child, sexual exploitation of a child, and possession of sexually exploitative material.
Despite his “sovereign citizen” ideology—a belief system where individuals claim they are not subject to government laws or authority—Forenza surrendered at the scene without incident. Detectives noted that his vehicle was present at the home and was outfitted with a fictitious license plate, a common practice among those who subscribe to the movement.
Forenza was subsequently booked into Walton County Jail and faces extradition back to Colorado.