Lehigh Acres man arrested after 26 years of hiding in Mexico

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Earl Jay Slaton, 72, of Lehigh Acres (Photo via LCSO)

A 72-year-old man accused of sexual battery and aggravated child abuse was arrested after being in hiding for 26 years in Mexico, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.

Earl Jay Slaton, of Lehigh Acres, is facing charges of aggravated child abuse and sexual battery on a victim under 18 years old, according to the sheriff’s office. He’s being held without bond at the Lee County Jail —where he arrived Saturday night following his extradition from California.

A multi-team investigation received a 27-year-old unserved warrant for charges of sexual battery and aggravated child abuse based on an investigation from the sheriff’s office. Slaton could not be located in the U.S. since 1990, when the warrant was first issued.

The investigation revealed his family had had no contact with him, the sheriff’s office said. Slaton was living with his new wife, and was found in San Juan de Abajo, a village approximately 400 miles west of Mexico City.

Slaton was then deported to Los Angeles by the Mexican Government due to his entry into the country illegally, the sheriff’s office said.

Slaton had been living in Mexico for approximately 26 years, according to detectives.

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