ROGUE RIVER, Ore. – The United States Marshals Service led Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF) tracked down and arrested a man wanted out of Kansas on a felony warrant for child sex abuse, according to a media release from the Jackson County Oregon Sheriff's Office.
The suspect, Ben J Baxter, 51, of Kansas, was wanted on a felony charge of sodomy with a child who was under 14 years of age. The crime occurred between June 27 and July 1 of this year.
He is now lodged in the Jackson County Jail awaiting extradition back to Kansas. The arrest occurred December 22, when investigations led PNVOTF and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) deputies to a remote residence on Murphy Gulch Road west of Wimer, Oregon.
Investigators located Baxter leaving the residence, and arrested him without incident. Although Baxter wrapped multiple phones in aluminum foil to avoid detection, he was unsuccessful in avoiding capture.
Over the last few days, PNVOTF tracked Baxter from Josephine County to the arrest location.