COLVILLE, Wash. — A man accused of child rape in Stevens County has been arrested following a 15-year investigation.
According to the Stevens County Sheriff's Office, it launched an investigation into Robert Jennings Vandivier in June 2009, where detectives say they received credible information that Vandivier got a 14-year-old girl pregnant.
The sheriff's office said the girl gave birth six months later in December, and DNA tests confirmed that Vandivier was the father.
Detectives issued an arrest warrant for Vandivier in November 2012, but detectives say Vandivier "vanished."
This past June, the sheriff's office said multiple agencies came together to find Vandivier.
The sheriff's office said the United States Marshals Service found Vandivier in Mesa, Arizona, on July 2. Vandivier was arrested on his outstanding Stevens County arrest warrant for third-degree child rape.
“I cannot express enough how much I appreciate the effort and successful location of Robert Vandivier by the US Marshals," Ericka George, prosecuting attorney with the Stevens County Prosecutor's Office, said. "This is a case in which the allegations are of a 14-year-old child becoming pregnant, charged by this office in 2012 - at which time the defendant fled the jurisdiction, and the case has been outstanding for more than a decade. The defendant had previously successfully evaded law enforcement, and I look forward to the opportunity to finally seek justice for these crimes.”
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.