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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A man accused of sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman in 2016 was extradited from Ecuador by the Federal Bureau of Investigation last week.

Peter Dettmer, 69, is facing 126 sexual assault charges from an incident in Golden. Witnesses called police on June 10, 2016, to report the possible sexual assault happening at Millstone Condos.

A responding Golden Police Department officer arrived and observed Dettmer and the woman through an uncovered window in the apartment from a distance.

The officer directed other officers to the location and when they knocked on the door, Dettmer asked why he should open the door. The officer running surveillance saw Dettmer run into another room and instructed the officers to make an emergency entrance due to the possible imminent danger the woman was in. After physically resisting, Dettmer was arrested by GPD.

He posted a $2,000 bond and then disappeared.

Suspect found in Ecuador

Dettmer was arrested in Cuenca, Ecuador, on April 27, but the FBI returned him to Jefferson County on Nov. 24. The charges he is facing are:

  • 63 counts of Sexual Assault – Victim Helpless (F3 felony)
  • 1 count of Sexual Assault – Victim Incapable due to Force/Drugs/Other (F3 felony)
  • 62 counts of Sexual Assault – Victim Incapable (F4 felony)

Dettmer’s first court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 1.

Former FBI Special Agent Bob Pence says it’s uncommon to find fugitives that far away, and says the FBI likely received a tip that Dettmer was in Ecuador.

“They might have an exact location, or it might just be that we hear that he might be somewhere in Ecuador,” says Pence. “And then this fugitive investigation would be conducted by Ecuador.”

Pence says the FBI has field offices in more than 70 countries, including one next to Ecuador in Colombia.

Ultimately, he says Ecuadorian authorities would be the ones to make any sort of arrest, making worldwide partnerships extremely valuable.

“Outside the United States, the FBI has no authority to conduct those investigations, no authority to carry weapons normally, and no authority to make arrests,” says Pence. “So it’s a liaison-type responsibility, and we work with the host countries, and do it very successfully around the world.”