One of Colorado's most wanted sex offenders arrested in California
Jaime Soto, a convicted child sex offender and one of Colorado's most wanted sex offenders, was arrested in California.
Soto, 43, was located by a task force including U.S. Marshals Deputies and police from Colorado, Nevada and California on Monday, the Marshals Service said Wednesday. He was wanted on a felony arrest warrant for charges stemming from a 2021 conviction for attempted sexual assault on a child and second-degree assault, among others. He also had an additional warrant out of Denver for failing to register as a sex offender, the Marshals Service said. He was reportedly number seven on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's list of top 10 wanted sex offenders.
Police in Thornton attempted to arrest Soto on Dec. 28 but learned he likely fled the state and was in Las Vegas. Investigators zeroed in on a possible location for Soto, his girlfriend and her 6-year-old child, who were seen leaving Nevada and traveling into California. When the car stopped at a gas station in Baker, California, investigators say they identified Soto and arrested him.
"This case is a perfect example of the effectiveness of our task force when agencies combine resources and work together to put a potentially violent sexual predator behind bars," said U.S. Marshal for the District of Colorado Kirk Taylor. "When multiple local, state, and federal agencies work together toward a common goal, it's amazing what results can be achieved."
Soto is now being held in a California jail, where he awaits an extradition hearing to be sent back to Colorado for trial.
Court records show Soto has a long list of criminal cases and convictions in Colorado going back to at least 1999, including theft, driving on a suspended license, drug charges, forgery, impersonation, harassment, domestic abuse and more.
In 2021, the Denver Police Department posted a photo of Soto, "in an effort to increase the community's awareness, and out of concern for everyone's safety," labeling him a "sexually violent predator."
