West Coast Realtor Arrested on U.S. Charges

A U.S. fugitive who operated a real estate office on the northwestern coast of Guanacaste was arrested this week on charges related to sex crimes in the United States. It was the second such arrest in a month.

Costa Rican and International Police (Interpol) agents arrested James Colwell, 65, Wednesday in Playa Flamingo, according to the daily Al Día.

Colwell pled guilty to sex crimes involving a minor in the U.S. state of Wisconsin in 2000 and was sentenced to 30 years. He fled while on conditional parole and arrived in Costa Rica two years ago, the daily La Nación reported.

Following his arrest, Colwell was taken to San Sebastián prison to await extradition proceedings, which could take two to three months.

On Nov. 22, Interpol arrested another U.S. man wanted by the FBI, 66-year-old Walter Edward Myer, in Heredia, north of San José.