Man under arrest for sexual abuse after 10 years on the run

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LEE COUNTY, Fla.- An accused child rapist was taken into custody Wednesday morning, nearly 10 years to the day after he allegedly sexually abused a teenage girl.

40-year-old Martin Galnarez was arrested shortly after 11 a.m. this morning in Corpus Christi, Texas, as a result of an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip.

The charges against Galnarez first came to light in January 2005, when he was accused of getting the young girl drunk, then raping her on at least two occasions.

He was arrested a few months later and charged with two counts of a sexual offense against a victim between the ages of 12 and 15 and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  However, Galnarez managed to bond out of jail after just two days behind bars, and took off immediately thereafter, having been on the run for the last decade.

Despite the time that has passed, Galnarez’s warrant remained active.

He is currently in custody at the Corpus Christi Detention Center, where he is being processed, before being sent to the Nueces County Jail. Once there, he will await extradition back to Lee County to face the charges he’s been running from.

“This morning’s arrest just goes to show that you can run, but you cannot hide, no matter what you’ve done or how long ago it was,” said Trish Routte, Crime Stoppers Coordinator.  “The fact that Martin Galnarez went into hiding after being released from jail speaks volumes as to his involvement in these alleged events.  He may have felt like he got away with having to face the judicial system for his alleged actions, but his day in court will finally come.  The victim in this case can finally rest easy, after 10 long years, knowing that Galnarez is securely confined behind bars.”

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