MOORHEAD, Minn. — A Minnesota fugitive charged with having sex with an underage girl is in custody after evading authorities for more than two decades.
The FBI says 67-year-old Curtis Lee Brovold was arrested by agents and Mexican immigration authorities outside his home in Cancun Wednesday without incident.
Brovold was wanted for alleged sexual activities with a 14-year-old girl he met online in 2000. Investigators say he met and communicated with the teen for approximately six months, then flew to Moorhead and met the girl at a hotel where they are are alleged to have engaged in sex acts. Brovold was arrested, but then fled after posting bail and skipping an appearance in Clay County Court.
Investigators from the Moorhead Police Department and agents from the FBI's Minneapolis division recently developed information that Brovold was living in Mexico, and coordinated with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to plan his arrest.
“The FBI has two things on its side when working fugitive cases: persistence and a very long memory. Both helped lead us to Curtis Brovold,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul. “We must never forget that, behind each fugitive case, there is a victim who is denied justice. That is who we are working for and I want to thank everyone involved in catching Mr. Brovold, as they helped bring his victim one step closer to getting the justice she deserves.”
FBI officials say Brovold will be flown back to Minnesota and transferred to the custody of local law enforcement.
"We are pleased that justice was not denied for the victim in this case simply from Brovold’s fleeing out of the U.S.,” said Moorhead Police Chief Shannon Monroe.
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