SARASOTA, Fla. — A Sarasota man who fled to Mexico after being arrested on child pornography charges in 2016 is back in U.S. custody, police said Monday.
John Pyle, 65, was arrested Saturday afternoon and deported from Mexico to Miami later in the day, according to a Sarasota Police Department news release.
He is awaiting extradition back to Sarasota to face those charges from years ago, which include 15 counts of possession of child porn.
Police say Pyle failed to show up for a court appearance in 2017. Over the years, the U.S. Marshals Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force Tampa Field Office eventually learned he was in Mérida, Mexico, located about four hours away from Cancún by car, the police department said in its release.
Mexican authorities arrested Pyle, who later was booked in the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Center by U.S. officials.
Sarasota police in June 2016, acting on tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Pyle allegedly uploaded child porn images, executed a search warrant at his apartment. An initial search reportedly found numerous images, including 15 of which involved sexual conduct involving minors. An additional 31 images with no sexual conduct were found, as well.
The case against Pyle will continue once he returns to Sarasota, police said.
Pyle was known in the Sarasota community for participating in patriotic and philanthropic races, 10 Tampa Bay reported in 2016. Years earlier, he ran 83 straight days for his "Patriot Run Across America" to raise money for veterans.