Fort Wayne child porn suspect arrested on Pacific island after 3 years on the run
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — A Fort Wayne child porn suspect who fled the country in 2020 was arrested by the United States Marshals Service on an island in the Pacific Ocean in late January.
The Fort Wayne Police Department announced the arrest on Jan. 29.
Charles Dewey III was under investigation starting in November 2020 after being suspected of giving vapes and narcotics to minors, alongside committing sex acts with them.
Court documents obtained by News 8 say Dewey reportedly sold marijuana and acid to a 14-year-old girl. Dewey, 23 at the time, lied to the 14-year-old about his age to have sex with her at his apartment. He also gave the girl a fake identity.
The girl told investigators that the two dated for approximately three months, in which Dewey committed sex acts with the girl “too many times to count.” Court papers say that Dewey threatened to kill her if she told anyone about their sexual relationship.
When officers searched Dewey’s apartment, they found he’d been growing marijuana out of his bathroom. They also found a baggie of weed in his freezer. Court documents didn’t specify how much weed was located in his apartment.
Dewey was subsequently arrested on Dec. 9, 2020, but released on bond. After his release, detectives say he quickly fled the United States.
While Dewey was on the run, police say multiple other charges involving minors were filed against him in Allen and Noble counties.
It wasn’t until Jan. 8, 2024, when the United States Marshals Service received a request to help track down Dewey.
The USMS told News 8 in a statement that investigators with the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force had discovered that Dewey, now 27, was living on the island of Saipan.
Saipan is northeast of Guam in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 7,000 miles west of the continental United States.
On Jan. 25 – 26, USMS deputies determined that Dewey was working at a health center on the island, and on Jan. 26, Dewey was taken into custody without incident at his place of work.
USMS says Dewey is facing charges for several counts of rape, sexual misconduct with minors, child solicitation, dissemination of harmful matter to minors, contributing to juvenile delinquency, sexual battery, intimidation, and possession of child pornography.
Dewey was being held at the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands Department of Corrections on Saipan to await extradition back to Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne police say they are now investigating to determine if anyone helped Dewey flee the country or assisted him while in hiding.