HAWTHORNE – A man who took off during a rape trial 30 years ago was arrested this past weekend by Westchester County Police after they learned he had returned to the Village of Mount Kisco.
Nelson Gustavo Caceres, 51, was held at held at the Westchester County Jail after his arrest Friday night and was remanded back without bail following his arraignment Monday.
Caceres was convicted of attempted rape and sentenced in absentia in 1989 to five to 15 years in state prison. He also faces a charge of bail jumping as a felony.
Detectives from the Warrant-Fugitive Unit recently developed information that the Guatemalan national was possibly back in Mount Kisco where he had been charged with the rape in 1988. He fled in 1989 while on trial in White Plains and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Investigators had determined in the 1990s that he was likely back in Guatemala, but a recent review of his case suggested he had possibly returned to Mount Kisco.
Interviews in the village and surveillance at several locations in recent days determined a person thought to be Caceres frequented a deli and was riding a red bicycle. On Friday night, officers spotted the bike chained to a tree near the deli. Caceres was taken into custody without incident.
“We received a good deal of cooperation in the Mount Kisco community during this investigation and we are grateful for the public’s assistance,” said Commissioner Thomas Gleason. “Mr. Caceres will now serve the sentence that was handed down three decades ago and the victim in this incident will receive the justice she deserves.”
