American Fugitive Arrested In Thailand Faces Multiple Child Sex Charges

[sriracha john]

Name: Howard Ernest Pritt

Warrant: Indecency with a child/sexual contact

Race: White

Sex: Male

Height: 6' 0"

Weight: 160

Hair: Red

Eyes: Blue

DOB: July 28, 1960

Identifying marks: Scar on right wrist

- Denton County Sheriff's Department Most Wanted List, Denton County, Texas, USA

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County fugitive corralled in Thailand

The long arm of Denton County Crime Stoppers reached as far as Thailand recently and nabbed one of the county’s most wanted fugitives.

Howard Earnest Pritt, 48, whose listed address is in Lewisville, was wanted on outstanding felony warrants for three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child with sexual contact.

Denton County Sheriff’s Sgt. Roger Griggs, who oversees the Crime Stoppers program, said Wednesday that Pritt was apprehended last week in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, 160 miles northeast of Bangkok. The arrest was made possible by a Crime Stoppers tip.

“The $1,000 reward is in Thailand now, waiting for pickup,” Griggs said.

Pritt was arrested by Lewisville police in January 2000 and indicted in January 2002 on the charges that involved a child under the age of 14. Bond was set at $50,000.

He fled, however, and had not been heard of until recently, when a tipster in Thailand contacted Crime Stoppers on May 28 by e-mail with information about Pritt’s whereabouts.

Griggs used the Crime Stoppers “TipSoft” follow-up feature to communicate with the tipster. Crime Stoppers ensures confidentiality, and tipsters remain anonymous.

“I was able to communicate with the tipster via a unique and sophisticated encryption delivery system that ensures complete anonymity to the tipster,” Griggs said. “Over the next two weeks, enough information was obtained from the tipster to verify Pritt’s exact location. This information was shared with the U.S. Marshals Service, the Denton County District Attorney’s Office and the Royal Thai Police.”

Pritt was featured on Denton County’s top 10 most wanted list in April at the request of District Attorney Investigator Dugan Broomfield, Griggs said. The district attorney has a board with photos of the 50 criminals most wanted at any given time and information about their last known whereabouts.

Griggs said he received good news from the tipster on Aug. 13.

“It has taken over two months, but as of today Howard Pritt is finally behind bars,” the tipster wrote. “He was arrested at 6 p.m. local time by the Royal Thai Police.”

The U.S. Marshals Service now has Pritt in custody, Griggs said. He will be brought back to Denton County to face the charges.

Tom Whitlock, who heads the felony division at the District Attorney’s Office, said Pritt was expected to be brought back into the continental United States today.

“We’ve had him on our top-50 list since November of 2007,” Whitlock said. “A marshal called me and talked to me about the responsibilities of each agency. The Marshals are footing the bill to get him to the U.S., and we will be paying to get him here.”

Whitlock said he will be looking at filing additional charges for fleeing when Pritt is back in Denton County.

“I imagine he felt pretty safe in Thailand,” Whitlock said. “But he was wrong.”

- Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Texas, USA) / August 21, 2008

[ajarnmark]

Why (almost) all such criminals are caught in Thailand?

I guess BiB are more efficient than any of their counterparts.

On a serious note, if he is really a criminal, I am happy that he will pay for what he did.

[lopburi3]

Denton child abuse suspect arrested in Thailand

For more than six years Howard Ernest Pritt evaded Denton County sheriff's deputies intent on arresting him on charges of suspicion of three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child involving sexual contact.

Earlier this month a tipster led authorities to Nakhon Ratchasimathis in Thailand, about 160 miles northeast of Bangkok, where Pritt, 48, has been holed up. Pritt was scheduled to appear Thursday before a Los Angeles judge, said Tom Reedy, Denton County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

"His passport had run out and he was in Thailand illegally. So there was no trouble getting him out," Reedy said.

Denton County law enforcement officials featured Pritt on their Top Ten Most Wanted List in April, and an initial tip came May 28 through an encrypted email, said Sgt. Roger Griggs, Denton County Crime Stopper program coordinator.

It took nearly three months of electronic conversations with the tipster to locate Pritt and get him on a jet headed for the United States, Griggs said. The tipster has already received his $1,000 reward, Griggs said.

"All this is thanks to the World Wide Web," Griggs said.

The offenses Pritt is accused of occurred between Dec. 1, 1999, and Feb. 1, 2000, and involved a girl 13 or younger, Reedy said. Pritt was indicted Jan. 24, 2002, with bail set at $50,000, according to court records. Bail may be more expensive for Pritt now that he is a flight risk, according to authorities.

"He will probably be facing some additional charges since he left the jurisdiction to avoid prosecution," Reedy said.

- Fort Worth Star-Telegram (USA) / Aug. 21, 2008

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The link to the article is:

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/851669.html

[lopburi3]

Diplomatic Security Helps Return Fugitive from Thailand to Face Charges of Sexually Assaulting a Child

State Department Special Agents Coordinated Return of Howard Pritt

The U.S. Department of State�s Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) helped facilitate the arrest of Howard Pritt on August 13, in Thailand, and his return to the United States on August 21. Pritt is wanted in Denton County, TX, on two counts of Indecency with a Child and three counts of Sexual Assault of a Child.

Diplomatic Security special agents assigned to the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok received information that Pritt was hiding in a small village near the town of Korat, Thailand.

The Regional Security Office in Embassy Bangkok coordinated with local officials to locate Pritt, and discovered during the course of his investigation that Pritt�s passport had expired, rendering his presence in Thailand illegal.

On August 13, 2008, upon notification by DS special agents in Embassy Bangkok of Pritt�s illegal immigration status, Thai Immigrations Officials detained Pritt and transported him to Bangkok. The U.S. Marshals Service escorted Pritt back to the United States from Bangkok on August 21.

Pritt is scheduled to make his initial court appearance before a judge in Los Angeles, CA on August 21, after which he is scheduled to be transferred to Texas for further prosecution.

Gregory B. Starr, Director of the U.S. Department of State�s Diplomatic Security Service, stated, �It�s this type of close, worldwide law enforcement liaison capability that gives Diplomatic Security unparalleled ability to apprehend fugitives like Pritt. His return highlights the critical role DS plays in bringing suspects and fugitives to justice, regardless of where they may hide. Pritt�s apprehension was a direct result of law enforcement coordination and field efforts by Diplomatic Security, the U.S. Marshals Service, and local Thai police and immigration officials.�

Because the U.S. State Department�s Bureau of Diplomatic Security is the most widely represented law enforcement organization in the world, DS�s capability to track and capture fugitives who have fled U.S. jurisdiction to avoid prosecution is unmatched. During 2007, DS assisted in the resolution of 113 international fugitive cases from over 30 different countries. DS has returned 83 fugitives in 2008 alone.

- U.S. Department of State Press Release / Aug. 22, 2008

link:

http://www.state.gov/m/ds/rls/108817.htm

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Alleged sex offender extradited from Thailand

A man who was charged with committing sex offenses involving children in Lewisville in 1999 and 2000 is being returned from Thailand.

Howard Ernest Pritt, who is now 48 years old, was indicted by a Denton County grand jury in January 2000 on two counts of indecency with a child and three counts of aggravated sexual assault.

Tom Reedy, public information officer for the Denton County Sheriff�s Office, said the case had been investigated by Robert Dillman, a Lewisville police officer. Dillman was not immediately available for comment.

Two of the counts allege that Pritt engaged in sexual contact with a child �younger than 17 years of age� and three of them allege that he engaged in sexual contact with a child �younger than 14 years of age.�

Reedy said Pritt, although indicted by the grand jury, was never arrested.

The U.S. Department of State�s Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) reported that Pritt had been found hiding in a small village near the town of Korat, Thailand.

The Regional Security Office discovered that his passport had expired, rendering his presence in Thailand illegal, according to a press release provided by DS..

Pritt was escorted by the U.S. Marshal�s Office back to the United States earlier this week. He arrived in Los Angeles Thursday where he was to appear before a judge on charges there, and is to be transported back to Denton County for further prosecution. It was unclear as to what charges he faced in California.

- Star Community Newspaper / Aug. 23, 2008

link:

http://www.flowermoundleader.com/articles/...r/news/25fm.txt