LAS VEGAS — A fugitive accused in the videotaped molestation of a 3-year-old girl was arrested quietly during a traffic stop, telling the officer, “I’m tired of running,” police said.
Chester “Chet” Arthur Stiles, 37, was scheduled for a hearing today. He was pulled over late Monday in Henderson.
Stiles had been wanted since Oct. 5 on warrants issued for 21 felony charges in connection with the acts seen on the videotape. The charges include lewdness with a minor, sexual assault and attempted sexual assault, Las Vegas police Capt. Vincent Cannito said.
The videotape, found last month in the rural Nevada town of Pahrump, had prompted an equally intense search for the young girl who appeared in it. Police with little to go on had encouraged news organizations to broadcast her haunting image. When the now-7-year- old was found Sept. 28, authorities shifted their resources to finding Stiles.
Henderson police Officer Mike Dye said he stopped Stiles about 7 p.m.
“He said, ‘I’m Chester Stiles, the guy you’re looking for,”‘ Dye said. “He said, ‘I’m tired of running.”‘
Stiles was booked at the Clark County jail.
Elaine Thomas, who said she was Stiles’ ex-girlfriend, called authorities when his picture appeared on the news, she told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. His truck had been in her driveway until this past weekend, when authorities picked it up, she said.
She said she never imagined he was capable of the acts on the tape.
