On Tuesday, Austin Fiser, a fugitive from Cottonwood, was arrested in Iowa by the U.S. Marshals Office on a tip from Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office detectives.
The 26-year-old Fiser was charged with two counts of child molestation in 2018 and indecent exposure, voyeurism, and assault in 2019.
In October 2018 Fiser engaged in sexual activity with an 11-year-old female victim and another 9-year-old female victim in Rimrock, Ariz.
In March of 2019, Fiser followed a female victim as she went to a secluded area to use the restroom on Boynton Canyon Trail in Sedona. He proceeded to expose himself and attempted to assault her. The victim, who was known to Fiser, was able to get away and her boyfriend later confronted Fiser, who was armed and threatened the couple.
Fiser was not immediately found at the time and became the subject of the Yavapai County Silent Witness “Catch 22” program while law enforcement sought him for arrest on the assault and molestation charges. He was subsequently arrested by Coconino County Sheriffs in January 2020. After his arrest, Fiser fled the jurisdiction and failed to appear for court date in January 2022, and Yavapai County issued felony warrants for his arrest in February.
Following the issuance of the arrest warrants, YCSO was able to gather information through ‘good old fashioned detective work’, suggesting Fiser was back in Iowa, the state where he was born. Detectives contacted local law enforcement in Iowa and the U.S. Marshal’s Office to assist in locating the suspect, who was found and arrested at a residence in the city of Pella. The U.S. Marshal’s Office is holding Fiser until he can be extradited back to Yavapai County.
“The quick work of our detectives in identifying the likely whereabouts of the suspect, and the cooperation of Pella PD and the U.S. Marshal’s Office, has allowed for this dangerous felon to be brought to justice for his serious crimes” said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes.