A man accused of sex crimes more than three years ago was arrested Tuesday after he fled to Vietnam, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Officials say Wade Astle was placed on MCSO's "Most Wanted" List in August 2020 on suspicion of 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
MCSO's Cyber Crimes Unit started investigating Astle back in 2017. Officials say Astle fled to Vietnam and in October and was arrested after he was identified by authorities at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Officials say Astle was transferred to Los Angeles, where he was put on quarantine due to COVID-19.
MCSO says this was a first-of-its-kind operation in Vietnam and a major collaboration between local, state, and federal agencies.
MCSO’s #MostWanted suspect Wade Astle was booked into our Intake, Transfer, Release facility last night. Astle was placed on our “Most Wanted” list in August 2020 on suspicion of 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after our Cyber Crimes Unit initiated an investigation 1/ pic.twitter.com/cXahdfzRGI
— Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (@mcsoaz) November 18, 2020
