Man Wanted For 3 Decades Apprehended

A 63-year-old man wanted for sexually assaulting and impregnating his young relative is in federal custody, following his arrest three decades after and about 1,800 miles from where the alleged crime occurred.

Deputy U.S. Marshals and law enforcement officers in Kentucky arrested James David Gibson on Wednesday, about two years after his alleged 13-year-old victim came forward to authorities.

James David Gibson

She waited several decades to tell her story until her daughter became an adult and she felt that both were old enough to defend themselves, U.S. Marshals said Thursday.

The assaults occurred in the late 1970's and early 1980's in Benson, Arizona, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Authorities said that, after learning that the victim was pregnant, Gibson kidnapped her and together they fled to Tennessee.

It was not until 2009 that the victim came forward and law enforcement authorities opened their case. By then, she was back in Arizona, more than 1,500 miles from Gibson. It wasn't immediately clear when the two separated.

Soon thereafter, Gibson was tracked down in Tennessee. After the he refused to provide a DNA sample, law enforcement tried to serve him a court order demanding as much. But by then, he'd fled the state -- prompting a warrant, issued in March 2009, charging him with kidnapping and sexual assault of a minor -- according to the U.S. Marshals.

Gibson was eventually found again in Jenkins, Kentucky, where he was living with a granddaughter.

By Thursday, authorities were awaiting clearance to extradite Gibson back to Arizona. The U.S. Marshals' office was not aware if, at that point, he had yet retained or been assigned an attorney.

Brian Blackwell