“Most Wanted” Fugitive Caught in Guatemala
Santa Barbara – In 1994, Jeffrey Reed Parish, then 47, was arrested in Carpinteria, Ca. on charges of child molestation and granted bail…which he promptly jumped. It was, according to Drew Sugars, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Public Information Officer, suspected that Parish had left the United States for points unknown. “The case has remained open since that time,” Sugars reported, indicating that Parish had recently been added to the SBSD “Most Wanted” list.
Jeffrey Parish, 1994
After posting bond on his 1994 arrest, Parish vanished, leaving his wife a note indicating that he would not be returning, which led authorities to suspect that he had traveled to Mexico. Parish’s wife, son, and mother continued to reside in Santa Barbara with no apparent knowledge of his whereabouts over the past 18 years, Sugars reported.
18 years later on July 17, 2012, pursuant to relentless FBI and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Felony Fugitive Unit investigation, Parish was tracked to Panajachel, Guatemala where he was arrested by area FBI agents working in concert with the Transnational Anti-Gang unit of the Guatemalan National Police. “He was living under the name Blake,” said Sugars.
The Guatemalan government ordered his immediate deportation on July 17th, and he was returned to Santa Barbara County Jail where he remains held without bail. It is anticipated that he will be prosecuted by the Santa Barbara District Attorney on the original charges of lewd acts upon a child and oral copulation.
Jeffrey Parish, 2012
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s office, according to Sugars, has information indicating that Parish may have had multiple molestation victims and is seeking additional information from the public who are encouraged to contact detectives at (805) 681-4150.
Photos: courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
Huffington Post: Jeffrey Parish, Accused Child Molester, Apprehended in Guatemala After 18 Years
KeyT: Parish Pleads Not Guilty
SBCSD: Jeffrey Parish Arrested
