A fugitive from justice who is wanted in Philadelphia for the alleged rape of a child was captured by city police Thursday - putting an end to his five-year run from law enforcement.
Christopher Andre Martin Jr., 20, of 51 Washington Boulevard, faces charges of felony rape, sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, as well as three related misdemeanor charges, including indecent exposure and simple assault.
According to the warrant, Martin was accused of child abuse in May of 2007 in Philadelphia.
Martin is accused of raping a child who he was supposed to be watching while the victim's parents were at work. According to court documents, Martin repeatedly forced the victim to perform sexual acts on him. During one incident, when the child resisted, Martin withheld food from the boy.
After repeated incidents, the victim told his parents about the alleged abuse. They contacted Philadelphia police.
Because Martin was a teenager at the time of the offense, James Carpenter, assistant chief of the Family Violence Sexual Assault Unit in Philadelphia, requested that Martin be charged as a juvenile.
But then Martin disappeared.
Martin managed to allude police for five years. But his flight from justice ended when city police Officer Jason P. Bolt responded to an altercation at Martin's residence. After interviewing Martin, who allegedly was one of the people involved in the fight, Bolt requested a background check on him.
Martin was found to have an outstanding felony warrant for rape, issued in October 2011 through District Justice Timothy O'Brein.
He was arrested prior to requisition and arraigned before District Judge James Carn before being committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.
Martin is awaiting extradition back to Philadelphia.
