HAMDEN, Conn. — A man wanted for a 2013 sexual assault of a juvenile before fleeing to Ecuador was arrested after he returned to the U.S. this year.
Edwin Arpi, who was 21 at the time of the alleged assault, was initially arrested after a juvenile was found in the area of Mountain Drive in Hamden banging on doors in the early hours of the morning of March 20, 2013.
The juvenile said she was sexually assaulted by a "friend" - who she identified as Arpi - while inside his car. She said she met Arpi on a social media site.
Officers said Arpi allegedly strangled the victim during the assault and that he had threatened to kill her. She tried to call the police during the violent assault, however, Arpi grabbed her cell phone. She eventually escaped from the car, in search of help.
A short time later, Hamden Police located Arpi, who was sleeping inside of his car. He was arrested and transported to police headquarters.
Arpi was initially arrested and charged with multiple charges including sexual assault in the 1st degree, strangulation in the 3rd degree and unlawful restraint in the 1st degree. He was detained on a $250,000 bond.
Arpi posted bond at court and was released, but failed to appear in court on his scheduled court date.
Hamden Police, with the assistance of the United States Marshal Service Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force, attempted to locate Arpi. Officers confirmed that he took an outbound flight to Ecuador in August 2015.
This month, Hamden Police became aware that Arpi had returned to the United States.
On Friday detectives saw him walking on State Street. He was immediately taken into custody.
Arpi, now 29, was charged with Failure to Appear in the 1st Degree. He was detained on a $350,000 court-ordered bond. He is scheduled to appear at Meriden Superior Court on June 18.
Arpi was additionally charged on the strength of 6 outstanding arrest warrants. He was charged with 4 counts of Failure to Appear in the 1st Degree (East Haven Police Department, Madison Police Department (2) and Yale University Police Department), Failure to Appear in the 2nd Degree (Guilford Police Department) and Failure to Respond (Connecticut State Police).
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