A Virginia man facing charges of raping an underage girl has been found, after five years, working as a contractor in Iraq.
Norfolk police tracked down Daniel Phillips, 46, this week, with the help of the U.S. Marshals, the State Department and NCIS, and brought him back to Virginia to face the charges stemming from an incident in 2004 or 2005.
Police wouldn’t reveal much about the actual crime, citing the protection of the alleged victim, although one news outlet reports that the victim is related to Phillips.
We do know, however, how they tracked him down. In December, the case was forwarded to the department’s fugitive division. Investigators talked to the victim’s family, Sgt. Boe Bostjancic tells TPM. They said Phillips worked for a government contractor.
So the police contacted NCIS, which investigates crimes for the Navy and Marine Corps, to search the many military bases in and around Norfolk. They didn’t find him — but they did find out the name of the company he worked for.
Bostjancic declined to share the name of the company, saying they had been helpful in the investigation, but did note that it appeared Phillips had been employed with them for a substantial amount of time. He was doing some sort of computer-related work.
The State Department then tracked Phillips to Iraq — Bostjancic didn’t know which base — and pulled his passport. Authorities took him to Kuwait, where they put him on a commercial flight to Dulles Airport, which is in Virginia. Police and U.S. Marshals met him there when he landed Saturday and took him into custody.
Police didn’t say when they think he took off to Iraq, but suggested it was soon after the crime, before a warrant was issued. The warrant, they said, would likely have prevented him from leaving the country.
He is scheduled to have a bond hearing today, and will be charged with rape, aggravated sexual battery and indecent liberties with a child.
Disqus Conversations
Click here to read the Disqus Commenting FAQ.