Oregon man wanted for sexually assaulting multiple young girls turns himself in after 23 years on the run
An Oregon man wanted by the law enforcement for more than two decades for committing multiple acts of child sexual abuse turned himself in to the authorities in Oregon City. According to CNN, 62-year-old Wayne Arthur Silsbee, who is believed to have sexually assaulted multiple young girls in the 90s, walked into the Oregon City Police Department on Sunday, May 12, and turned himself in after being on the run for 23 years.
The FBI said they did not know why he decided to stop running.
Silsbee has been wanted since 1996 for his alleged involvement in multiple incidents of sexual assault involving several female victims who were between the ages of eight and 10 at the time of the offenses.
The assaults reportedly occurred between September of 1995 and April of 1996. According to reports, the 62-year-old is said to have been acquainted with the each of the victim children by either babysitting them or taking them to various events.
Prior to his arrest, a press release by the FBI warned that he went by aliases such as 'Bill Lee' and 'Bill Wayne,' and that he might seek out employment or volunteer work in the sign language field because he was fluent in it.
The release stated that Silsbee had held employment in a wide range of fields, including as a security guard, tax preparer, school bus driver, and warehouseman, and that he had also worked in numerous temporary service agencies.
It said he had ties to various cities such as Springfield, Missouri, the San Francisco Bay area of California; Colorado; Arizona; and northwestern Washington State, and that he had most recently lived in Nebraska. He also reportedly had shown interest in nudist activities and held a membership in the American Sunbathing Association.
Silsbee is facing charges of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor, and first-degree unlawful sexual penetration that have been pending since a local arrest warrant was obtained against him in Clackamas County, Oregon, near Portland, in July 1996.
A federal warrant charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was also issued against him in September 1996 in the United States District Court in Oregon.
Authorities have asked that anyone who has made contact with Silsbee over the past 23 years to call the Oregon City tip line at 503-496-1616. He is currently being held at the Clackamas County Jail on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to make his first appearance in court on Monday, May 13.