Delaware child rape suspect extradited from California

Delaware child rape suspect extradited from California

The Associated Press

Published: August 3, 2007

NEWARK, Delaware: A man accused of repeatedly molesting a Ukrainian girl he took into his home has been extradited to Delaware from California, where he was arrested last month, authorities said Friday.

Vladimir Karpov, 50, was returned to Delaware on Thursday and is being held at Howard Young Correctional Center in Wilmington in lieu of $2.5 million (€1.83 million) cash bail. He is charged with 50 counts of first-degree rape and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Karpov was arrested July 3, in Ripon, California after a police officer spotted a suspicious vehicle outside a motel and learned that it had been stolen in North Carolina. Karpov, who had a loaded 9mm handgun in his car and was carrying $15,000 (€10,954) in cash, was arrested at the motel for possession of stolen property, and Ripon police learned through a computer check that he was wanted in Delaware.

According to Delaware State Police, Karpov, a Ukrainian immigrant, traveled to Ukraine in 1999. While there, he visited with a family taking care of the girl, who was 7 years old at the time.

State police said the family agreed to let Karpov take the girl back to the United States with him.

The Ukrainian family moved to New Jersey and after learning that the girl lived with Karpov in Newark, arranged a visit, during which the girl told them she had been abused by Karpov.