Mendocino County child sex abuse suspect arrested after nearly a year on the run
UKIAH – Authorities in Mendocino County on Thursday arrested a man suspected of child sex abuse after deputies said he spent months on the run, including leaving California for a time.
According to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, the arrest stemmed from an investigation launched in July 2023. Deputies alleged that 40-year-old Christopher Neil Kiger of Clearlake committed "multiple acts of sexual abuse" against a juvenile victim under the age of 14.
The sheriff's office said Kiger left the state after learning about the investigation. Deputies submitted the case to the district attorney's office and an arrest warrant was obtained.
Last month, detectives learned that Kiger had possibly returned to the area. The sheriff's office made multiple attempts to find him in Lake County, where he has family.
Detectives found out that he was avoiding capture until he could obtain enough money for a bail bond. At the time, bail in his case was set at $425,000, in accordance with the state's bail schedule for the crimes he was accused of.
On Thursday night, detectives were able to track down Kiger to what was described as a remote location on Williams Ranch Road near the town of Willits. Kiger was allegedly staying and working at an illegal cannabis operation in the area.
Following a brief pursuit into a wooded area, Kiger was arrested without incident. No injuries were reported.
Kiger was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on multiple offenses, including continual sexual abuse of a minor and lewd and lascivious acts upon a child under the age of 14.
A judge has set bail at $1 million in the case.