Texas Rangers track down suspected Washington child molester

BY Kim Shepard  on October 19, 2012 @ 2:23 pm (Updated: 5:08 pm - 10/19/12 )

Michael Yaeger
Michael T. Yeager, 41, is being held by Texas authorities while Lewis County works to extradite him on molestation and voyeurism charges. (Photo: Lewis County Sheriff's Office) | Zoom
The Texas Rangers helped bring an end to the crimes of a survivalist wanted for molesting a girl in Lewis County, Washington.

In 2007, 41-year-old Michael Yeager was accused of sexually abusing the 14-year-old daughter of his live-in girlfriend. The molestation allegedly occurred over several years in the home they shared in Pe Ell.

A warrant was issued for his arrest, but Yeager eluded police for five years by living off the land. Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield says several times over the years they found evidence of Yeager, but they were never able to find the man himself.

Their luck changed when they got a tip that Yeager might be living in Texas. Rather than calling the city or county police agencies, Mansfield says they asked the Texas Rangers for help. One of the Rangers tracked Yeager down to a wooded area about 100 miles west of Dallas near Quitman, Texas.

"The suspect was actually attempting to elude him and escape by water at the time. And a search of his possessions revealed that he had a large amount of survival gear, as well as a rifle, fishing gear and a canoe," says Mansfield.

Yeager was arrested on Thursday evening. He is being held in Texas on six counts of third degree child molestation and voyeurism while Lewis County works on extraditing him back to Washington.

Kim Shepard, KIRO Radio Reporter
Kim Shepard is a news anchor and reporter for KIRO Radio and the office optimist. She's energetic, quick to laugh and has a positive outlook on life.
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Comments (3)


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  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Good job.
    October 19, 2012 5:00 pm
    Now bring him back here. We have free TV's and lonely women that think he "deserves" human contact.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sportsguru wrote...
    Thank you Texas Rangers
    October 19, 2012 9:29 pm
    Because the police in the state of Washington couldn't catch a cold if they tried.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rikki Doxx wrote...
    Catch A Cold?
    October 20, 2012 11:43 am
    Sure they have. They're sick.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }