Attempted rape suspect captured

Published 4:20 pm Tuesday, July 8, 2014

A man wanted in Virginia for attempted rape was arrested Monday in Atmore, according to officials with the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Task Force.

Charles Andrews, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Alabama, said that Oswaldo Cuzchoc, who was wanted by the Culpepper, Va., Police Department, was arrested Monday by the Task Force. Cuzchoc is facing charges of attempted rape and breaking and entering to commit rape.

Cuzchoc became a fugitive after an April 13 incident, in which he allegedly broke into a home with the intent to commit rape. Afterward, he fled Virginia and is believed to have traveled to Georgia and eventually Alabama.

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According to Andrews, Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force investigators eventually received information from cooperating witnesses, suggesting Cuzchoc might be in Escambia County. After an intense manhunt, he was located Monday working at a restaurant in Atmore.

“The arrest of Oswaldo Cuzchoc represents sheer determination of these investigators,” Andrews said. “They turned over every stone and checked every known address from Virginia to Alabama.

“Our investigators were actually looking to speak with Mr. Cuzchoc’s brother when they discovered the fugitive hiding in plain sight. Had they not followed up with these interviews, Mr. Cuzchoc would still be on the run today and potentially victimizing someone else.”

The Gulf Coast Regional Task Force is composed of a variety of partnering agencies, including the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, Alabama Department of Corrections, Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control Board, Alabama National Guard Counterdrug Program, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, Brewton Police Department, Mobile Police Department, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Monroeville Police Department, Prichard Police Department, Selma Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Marshals Service.