Sarasota man wanted since 2017 for possession of child pornography arrested in Mexico
John Pyle ran 3,273 miles from San Francisco to Key West to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project in 2012.
Several years later, Pyle was again on the run, this time evading police and the courts after being charged with 30 counts of possessing child pornography.
Over the weekend, his running came to an end.
The 65-year-old Sarasota man, who was wanted by authorities since 2017, was caught in Mexico.
Previously: Sarasota fugitive still running, only now the chase is on to catch him
More: Sarasota fugitive spotted in Mexico
Authorities with the U.S. Marshals Mexican Foreign Field Office and Mexican Immigration arrested Pyle in Merida, Mexico, on Saturday, according to authorities in a Sarasota Police Department news release.
Pyle was transferred to the custody of U.S. Marshals Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force Miami Field Office later Saturday, the news release stated. He is being held at the Miami Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Center in Miami.
Pyle, who many recognized from his cross-country trek in 2012 carrying the American flag to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project, will face some 450 years in prison, according to previous reporting by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
In 2016, Sarasota Police Department detectives searched Pyle's condo on South Osprey Avenue after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Detectives found 31 images of child pornography, 15 images containing sexual misconduct, and two images of child pornography involving bondage on Pyle's laptop, according to arrest reports.
After posting a $90,000 bond, Pyle seemingly disappeared, failing to show up for a pre-trial hearing. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest, according to previous reporting by the Herald-Tribune.
His trial was scheduled for November 2017.
Pyle, who surrendered his passport as part of his bond, was believed to have left the U.S. by a Carnival Cruise Lines ship heading to Cozumel, Mexico.
Gabriela Szymanowska is a Report For America corps member covering criminal justice, the courts and the legal system for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Have a news tip? Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota man John Pyle, on the run since 2017, caught in Mexico
