Man who disappeared for two years after alleged child rape arrested in Tacoma, sheriff says
A man suspected of child rape was arrested last night after avoiding capture for two years, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department says.
Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Darren Moss told The News Tribune Wednesday that deputies recognized Juan Steagall-Martinez, 53, when they responded to a call about a possible domestic disturbance Oct. 29.
A neighbor in the apartment complex, Olympic Village Apartments in Tacoma, reported the man was knocking on an apartment door and believed his roommate had kicked him out.
Steagall-Martinez had a warrant out for his arrest after he was suspected of raping and molesting multiple children in 2022, according to Moss. He was a maintenance person at a mobile home park where the victims lived and became friends with families living there, through which he gained access to their children, Moss said.. One victim reported rape, followed by two other victims who made similar reports.
When Steagall-Martinez found out that officers were contacting families, he “immediately just disappeared,” Moss said. “We were trying to get things done as quickly as we could to develop probable cause to arrest him.”
The sheriff’s department got a warrant issued for his arrest and put out flyers identifying him on the Crime Stoppers website and social media, according to Moss. Around mid-October, one of the victims’ mothers saw him again at Wapato Park in Tacoma, setting off another “media blitz” by the sheriff’s department to ask if people knew where he was.
