Unmanned plane over Arizona spots man wanted in Kent rape case

An unmanned aircraft used to patrol the U.S. border with Mexico has helped nab a Washington state man wanted in King County on suspicion of child rape.

Leopoldo Aparicio-Lopez, 24, of Kent, was among six men spotted by the camera-equipped aircraft while they were traveling from Mexico into Arizona late Monday night, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Mike Milne. While arresting the men, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents also confiscated 395 pounds of marijuana.

Aparicio-Lopez has been sought by authorities since March 5, 2006, when a 15-year-old Kent girl told police that he had impregnated her during their six-month relationship, according to charging documents filed in King County Superior Court. He fled after he was charged.

Even though the girl told police that the sex was consensual, Aparicio-Lopez will be tried for third-degree child rape; the age of consent in Washington state is 16. Aparicio-Lopez is not a U.S. citizen, Milne said.

First launched in October, the aircraft uses an infrared camera to monitor the Arizona desert. When hot spots are sensed, the images are sent back to a control room monitoring the flight, said Milne. Agents are then directed to the area to make an arrest.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection's entire fleet of unmanned planes can be linked to more than 3,900 arrests and the seizure of more than 13,600 pounds of marijuana in the Southwest, according to the agency.

Another aircraft will be launched in North Dakota later this year to monitor the Canadian border, Milne said. He said there are no plans to have an unmanned plane patrol the Canadian border in Washington state.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com