Canadian Sex Offender Finally Arrested Living In Tahoe
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) -- Canadian police issued a wanted poster for James William Robertson and it even says he violent, yet South Lake Tahoe police say for a nearly a year there wasn't anything they could do about it.
Local and federal authorities spent the past year trying to secure an international warrant from Canada to arrest the 71-year-old.
It took a joint effort from the local police, the FBI, the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Justice Department, to secure the correct paper work from Canada. Without that paperwork, Robertson was untouchable. California sex offender laws do not apply to people convicted in another country.
Robertson was finally arrested by U.S. marshals on Friday.
"It was frustrating for us," South Lake Tahoe Police Lt. David Stevenson told CBS13. "There's definitely a loophole in the law, and it's something I'm hoping they will fix."
Robertson was wanted on parole violations. He served five years for child molestation charges that took place over a 23-year period.
CBS13's Ben Sosenko called the Canadian Department of Justice, who referred him to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We're still waiting for their response.
Either way, people say there's a problem with the law when a violent child molester wanted by police is able to live freely amongst children for a year.
Something will have to be done because people living here with children aren't going to like that," said Sutter Creek resident Gail Dommes.
South Lake Tahoe police say they don't believe Robertson committed any crimes while living there.
