Convicted Rapist on the Lam for 30 Years Arrested in Mt. Kisco
A man convicted in absentia 30 years ago for a rape he committed in Mount Kisco was apprehended by county police officers in the village last Friday night.
Nelson Gustavo Caceres, 51, was arrested outside a deli by officers and brought to Westchester County Jail in Valhalla. He was arraigned in Monday in Westchester County Court and returned to jail.
“This open warrant has been investigated on a regular basis for the last 30 years,” said Westchester County Police Commissioner Thomas Gleason. “Our detectives will not give up until the offender is brought to justice.
Police said that during his 1989 trial in County Court in White Plains, Caceres managed to flee and likely returned to his native Guatemala.
Caceres was convicted of first-degree rape and sentenced to five to 15 years in state prison for dragging a woman into a wooded area near East Main Street and North Bedford Road in 1988 and sexually assaulted her. The victim had met him earlier that same evening and told police at the time Caceres had become enraged when she would not go with him to his residence.
He was arrested by the Mount Kisco Police Department shortly after the attack but was free on bail.
Detectives from the Warrant-Fugitive Unit recently developed information that Caceres had possibly returned to Mount Kisco, county police said.
With that lead, law enforcement authorities conducted multiple interviews in the village and recently organized surveillance at several locations, according to police. The investigation yielded that a person thought to be Caceres was a frequent patron of a local deli in Mount Kisco and was often seen riding a red bicycle, police said.
Last Friday night, officers saw a red bicycle chained to a tree near the deli, which police did not identify yesterday. They took Caceres into custody without incident when he came to retrieve the bicycle a short time later.
Gleason commended the work of the department’s Warrant-Fugitive Unit and noted that it never closes out open warrant cases no matter how many years have passed.
“We received a good deal of cooperation in the Mount Kisco community during this investigation and are grateful for the public’s assistance,” Gleason said. “Mr. Caceres will now serve the sentence that was handed down three decades ago and the victim in this incident will receive the justice she deserves.”
In addition to the sentence for rape, Caceres also faces the felony charge of second-degree bail jumping.
The Warrant-Fugitive Unit’s job is to locate and apprehend individuals who are the subject of warrants issued by Westchester County Supreme Court, Westchester County Court and Westchester County Family Court. The warrants are issued for individuals facing felony and misdemeanor criminal charges.
The unit also investigates and enforces warrants issued by local Family Courts and are often called on to represent the county in extradition cases where a suspect is wanted in another state or is being held in another state and has a matter pending in Westchester.
Anyone with information about Caceres’ recent activities in Mount Kisco is asked to contact Warrant-Fugitive Unit detectives at 914-864-7901. All calls will be kept confidential.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/