A man who has had a warrant out for his arrest for nearly 25 years accusing him of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in Salt Lake City has been arrested in California.
An arrest warrant was issued for Jaime Diaz Calderon, 46, in June of 1997, charging him with aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated sexual assault, first-degree felonies; and robbery, a second-degree felony.
On April 7, 1997, Calderon kidnapped a woman he knew at gunpoint at the Salt Lake City International Airport and sexually assaulted her at an undisclosed location in Salt Lake City, according to a statement Salt Lake police released Thursday. Court records show Calderon lived near 1650 West and 600 South at the time.
Police quickly identified Calderon as a suspect and criminal charges were filed against him just two months after the alleged assault.
But he never showed up for a scheduled court hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest. His warrant was listed in the National Crime Information Center database, meaning that if Calderon was ever pulled over or arrested anywhere in the United States, the law enforcement agency that came in contact with him would be notified of his warrant.
According to a press release issued by northern California's Marin County Sheriff's Office, detectives from the department's Specialized Investigative Unit recently received information that Calderon was wanted in Salt Lake City and was possibly living in their county. The release does not say how police were tipped off to Calderon being in their county.
"Detectives from (that unit) conducted surveillance, coordinated with the San Rafael Police Department, and were able to safely take Calderon into custody. Calderon was booked into custody at the Marin County Jail as a fugitive from justice on (Tuesday)," according to the department's statement.
Salt Lake police were in the process on Thursday of having Calderon extradited to Utah.