Thread: A Predator In Paradise - Emanuel Carlos Veiga

This judge should be removed and placed in a cell.

From America's Most Wanted

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=31948

A Predator In Paradise

A man who was arrested for preying on children at a popular tourist spot near Disneyworld is on the run. Police say 31-year-old Emanuel Veiga, a Brazilian citizen in the United States on a work visa has disappeared, and police fear he's victimizing more children.

In 2003, there'd been dozens of sexual assaults near Disneyworld; the youngest victim was just nine years old. Most of the victims had been ambushed in hotel elevators or stairwells. For months, cops say the predator stalked, attacked and violated numerous small children. Then, it happened again - another young girl attacked. This time, cops say the predator struck in a YMCA parking lot. The teenager was on her cell phone talking to her father when she became the predator's next target. But the brave teenager fought back. She repeatedly hit the attacker until she managed to free herself. She ran one way - he, the other. But the young girl got a good look at his face - good enough to help police make a sketch. Even more importantly, she saw the vehicle he jumped into. That gave the team of investigators a major lead in their manhunt. Investigators were now looking for a red Ford Explorer and were doing anything to track it down.

New Clues Help Cops Track Down Their Man

For the first time, police knew how their suspect was getting around. As part of an undercover team continued to stake out hotels, others immediately began searching for the Explorer. The surveillance went on for weeks, with no red Explorer. Then, cops spotted it. For the next 30 minutes, the undercover cops watched as the suspect cruised through one hotel parking lot after another. Although the cops believed the man they were watching was their suspect, they had no proof. That meant cops couldn't take him down --yet. But there was something they could do. The vehicle had no license plate, so the undercover team called in a marked patrol car. Using the missing plates as an excuse, the uniformed officers pulled the suspect over.

The suspect had to hand over his driver's license. Now, cops finally knew who he was - Emanuel Carlos Veiga. After getting a citation, Veiga drove off with no idea he was being trailed. Meanwhile, armed with the picture from his driver's license, detectives quickly arranged a photo lineup for several victims. The young girl who was attacked in the YMCA knew right away that cops had the right guy.

The positive ID gave police what they needed. Veiga was charged with kidnapping a child, sexual battery, lewd and lascivious molestation and rape.

Convicted Rapist Cuts Off Tracking Device and Runs

When cops searched Veiga's home, they got a look at what might have been the next step in his devious plan. Papers cops found on his desk indicated Veiga was writing, or pretending to write, a book about child safety called "Protect Your Kids." He also claimed to be producing a safety video called "Don't Go With Strangers." He was planning to seek celebrity endorsements - even one from John Walsh!

After posting $72,500 bond, a judge - Carolyn Freeman - decided it would be safe to place Veiga on house arrest with a monitoring device attached to his ankle while he awaited trial. Judge Freeman has refused to publicly comment on the case, but her decision stunned the team of detectives who'd worked so hard to take an accused predator off the street.

Six weeks after being allowed to go home, Veiga cut off the monitoring device and walked away. He hasn't been seen since.

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