A man who fled from a rape trial 30 years ago was arrested recently by Westchester County Police detectives after they determined he had returned to the Village of Mount Kisco. Nelson Gustavo Caceres, 51, was held at the Westchester County Jail following his arrest and was arraigned in Westchester County Court. He was remanded back to the county jail in Valhalla.
Caceres was convicted of first-degree attempted rape and sentenced in absentia in 1989 to five to 15 years in state prison. In addition to that sentence, he currently faces a charge of second-degree bail jumping, a felony.
Detectives from the Warrant-Fugitive Unit recently developed information that Caceres, a Guatemalan national, was back in Mount Kisco, where he was charged in 1988. He fled in 1989 while on trial in White Plains and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
WFU detectives have had an open case for the last three decades on Caceres, and had determined in the 1990s that he was likely back in Guatemala. During a recent case review, detectives determined that Caceres had possibly returned recently to the area.
Detectives conducted multiple interviews in the village and set up surveillance at several locations. Their investigation determined that a person thought to be Caceres frequented a local deli and was riding a red bicycle. Recently, officers observed a red bicycle chained to a tree near the deli. They took Caceres into custody without incident a short time later when he went to retrieve the bicycle.
“We received a good deal of cooperation in the Mount Kisco community during this investigation and are grateful for the public’s assistance,” said Police Commissioner Thomas Gleason. “Mr. Caceres will now serve the sentence that was handed down three decades ago and the victim in this incident will receive the justice she deserves.”
Caceres was arrested by the Mount Kisco Police Department in 1988 after he dragged a woman into a wooded area near East Main Street and North Bedford Road and sexually assaulted her, said police. The victim met him earlier in the evening and reported that he became enraged when she would not go back to his residence.
Caceres was indicted in 1988 and was free on bail, and fled during his 1989 trial.
Gleason commended the Warrant-Fugitive Unit for its work in this case and noted that it never closes out open warrant cases no matter how many years have passed. “This open warrant has been investigated on a regular basis for the last 30 years,” he said. “Our detectives will not give up until the offender is brought to justice.”
The mission of the Warrant-Fugitive Unit is to locate and apprehend individuals who are the subject of warrants issued by Westchester County Supreme Court, Westchester County Court and Westchester County Family Court. The warrants are issued for individuals facing felony and misdemeanor criminal charges. In addition, the unit also investigates and enforces warrants issued by local Family Courts.
WFU detectives are also called upon to represent the county in extradition cases where the defendant is apprehended in Westchester and is wanted by another state, or where the defendant is apprehended in another state and is wanted by Westchester County or any of its municipalities.
Anyone with information about Caceres’ activities in Mount Kisco is asked to contact WFU detectives at 914-864-7901. All calls are confidential.
