SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County fugitive accused of aggravated sexual assault of a child has been arrested in South Africa after being on the run for more than seven years.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service San Antonio Division, Robert Lee Redd Jr., 56, was wanted in Bexar County on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child stemming from a May 2019 indictment filed in the 144th District Court of Bexar County.
According to the indictment, Redd allegedly sexually assaulted a child under the age of 14 through the use of physical force and sexual contact. After the indictment, the U.S. Marshals Service said Redd allegedly fled the United States, prompting an international fugitive investigation by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.
During the investigation, the task force received tips that Redd may have been hiding in the Middle East. The U.S. Marshals Service said continued investigative efforts and additional leads eventually traced him to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
The task force developed and provided investigative intelligence about Redd’s whereabouts to the International Criminal Police Organization, known as INTERPOL, and the South African Police Service. Acting on that intelligence, South African authorities located and arrested Redd at his residence in Kabega Park, South Africa, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
“No matter how far a suspect flees or how many years pass, the pursuit of justice never ends,” said Brian D. Harrison, acting U.S. marshal for the Western District of Texas. “The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force will relentlessly pursue those who evade the law. If you run, we will find you.”
The U.S. Marshals Service said Redd was extradited from Cape Town, South Africa, to San Antonio. Upon arrival at San Antonio International Airport, he was transferred to the custody of the San Antonio Airport Police and then booked into the Bexar County Jail, where he will await further judicial proceedings on the outstanding charges.