A former Marana man wanted by Tucson police since 2017 on suspicion of child sex crimes has been captured in Mexico and returned to the United States for prosecution, authorities said.
A tipster said Justin Way, 39, was hiding out in the popular beach community of Puerto PeΓ±asco about 200 miles southwest of Tucson. Thatβs where he was arrested May 31 in a joint operation between Mexican police and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Way was deported the next day and booked into the Pima County jail on four felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor, the Marshals Service said.
βIt is alleged that Way was forcing a 13-year-old victim into a sexual relation with him over the course of a year. Way went so far as to threaten the victim with physical harm if they told anyone,β the service said in a news release.
The Tucson Police Department, which investigated the case, asked the Marshals Service for help after receiving a tip about his whereabouts, the news release said. The Marshals Service leads an Arizona task force that tracks down fugitives and has members specifically trained to work with law enforcement outside the United States, the news release said.
