Man accused of molesting Ukrainian girl is captured in California
An immigrant accused of repeatedly molesting a Ukrainian girl he took into his home has been arrested in California, authorities said Thursday.
Vladimir Karpov, 50, was arrested Tuesday and was in jail Thursday, pending extradition to Delaware.
Delaware State Police said Karpov, a Ukrainian immigrant, traveled to Ukraine in 1999. While there, he visited with a family taking care of the girl, who was 7 at the time.
The family agreed to let Karpov take the girl back to the United States, state police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh said.
Two years ago, the Ukrainian family moved to the United States and recently tried to reconnect with the girl. She told them she had been abused by Karpov, and the family told child welfare officials.
Whitmarsh said Karpov fled the state a few weeks ago as police were completing warrants charging him with 50 counts of first-degree rape and one count of continual sexual abuse of a child.