Kidnap Suspect Probed in Other Case
Aug. 15 -- The man arrested in the kidnapping of an 8-year-old girl in Vallejo, Calif., was charged today with multiple counts of kidnapping and sexual assault.
Curtis Dean Anderson, 39, was arrested Saturday hours after an 8-year-old girl unlocked herself from a leg shackle in Anderson’s car and ran for safety to a passing truck driver, police said. The girl, who was abducted as she walked home from school on Thursday, is in good condition and home with her parents.
With his hands and feet shackled, Anderson appeared in a wheelchair today as prosecutors filed 11 charges against him in the alleged kidnapping, most of which were molestation crimes and forced oral copulation. His court-appointed lawyer, Mark Roelke, persuaded the judge to delay Anderson’s formal arraignment until Friday so that he could review the case.
Because of the multitude of charges and his lengthy criminal record, prosecutors say Anderson could face life in prison if convicted.The girl’s name, which was originally reported after her escape, is now being withheld by many news agencies since the charges against her suspected attacker include sex crimes.
Link to Another DisappearanceThe charges against Anderson come as police began looking into allegations that he may be linked to the disappearance of a 7-year-old girl who has been missing since December. Anderson reportedly worked at the same taxi cab company that employed the mother of the young girl.
Xiana Fairchild has not been seen since she disappeared Dec. 9. Anderson quit his job at City Cab in Vallejo one day before her disappearance, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Xiana’s mother, Antoinette Robinson, and her boyfriend, Robert Turnbough, both worked at the same cab company, but not while Anderson was employed there.
Vallejo Police Lt. JoAnn West acknowledged similarities between the two cases.
“Right now we are sifting through items in his car and former residences to find any link between this abduction and any previous crimes,” she said.
Related Stories
ABC News Live