72-Year-Old Suspected ‘Serial Rapist’ Caught After 24 Years on the Run
Herman Carroll was arrested in Branson, Missouri on May 11 after being on the run since 2000, reported the U.S. Marshall's Service
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Stock image of police carA 72-year-old man suspected of multiple sexual assaults has been arrested after 24 years on the run.
In a release shared Monday, May 13, Justin Hamrock, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Central District of Illinois, confirmed that Herman Carroll was arrested in Branson, Missouri, on May 11.
Described as a “serial rapist,” authorities said that Carroll had been on the run “since he posted bail in 2000 and failed to appear for a court hearing" in Moultrie County, Illinois.
"Herman Carroll, 72, was wanted on a 2001 failure to appear charge out of Moultrie County stemming from a 2000 Moultrie County warrant issued for Carroll," the press release added.
Within the 2000 warrant, Caroll had been charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and criminal sexual assault.
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On July 3, 2000, Carroll was arrested for the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl. He had also been convicted of child sex offenses in both 1983 and 1993, according to the release.
The investigation into his whereabouts was taken over by the U.S. Marshall's Service in the Central District of Illinois in June 2022.
On May 8, 2024, its detectives discovered that there was a high chance Carroll was living in Branson via "a collateral lead."
"Carroll was taken safely into custody three days later and transported to the Taney County Jail, Missouri, to await extradition," added the release.
In June 2022, the U.S. Marshals Service offered a $10,000 reward for information on Carroll. At the time, he was described as “a white male, standing 5 feet 7 inches tall,” with “brown hair and hazel eyes.”
It added that he was a carpenter by trade and had a "birthmark/discoloration on his abdomen and scars on his right finger and his left wrist."
"On his left shoulder, Carroll has a tattoo of a red heart with the name "JOANNE" in the center," it continued. "On his right shoulder, he has a tattoo of a family tree with the initials of family members on two branches."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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