A convicted pedophile with a lengthy rap sheet who was on the lam for more than a year apparently thought he had the perfect hiding place: a Detroit basement.
The U.S. Marshals Service proved him wrong.
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Richard Heeringa, 56, was arrested over the weekend at a home in the 20000 block of Ohio Street. The unshaven fugitive with his bowl haircut had been living in the basement under the alias Tim Thurman, according to documents.
Heeringa was wanted for fleeing Colorado in the middle of the night on April 15, 2010 — the day a jury convicted him of 17 counts of sexual assault on a child. He was out on bond during trial and never showed up for the verdict.
“He had absolutely no idea we were coming to get him,” said Deputy U.S. Marshal Kevin Pettit. “He was absolutely flabbergasted that we could find him.”
According to the U.S. Marshals, a tipster who watched the TV show “America’s Most Wanted” led authorities to Heeringa, who is no stranger to Michigan or the courts.
Heeringa served 12 years in prison in Michigan for sexually abusing two young girls at an amusement arcade in Portage. The Michigan native also was convicted in 1984 of molesting a child and has two other sex assault cases pending in Colorado.
Deputy District Attorney Christopher Gallo in Douglas County, Colo., said Heeringa was out on bond because he was not charged with a class 1 felony and so was entitled to a bond.
Gallo also said prosecutors argued that his bond should be “incredibly restrictive” and persuaded the court to raise his bond to $250,000.
Gallo applauded authorities, including the Detroit Police Department, for capturing Heeringa.
Heeringa’s defense lawyer could not be reached for comment.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Heeringa moved to Colorado shortly after his release from prison in Michigan in 2004. He met a single mother there and moved in with her and her daughter. Soon after, authorities said, Heeringa began sexually abusing the 12-year-old girl.
He is currently in Wayne County Jail, awaiting extradition to Colorado. He faces up to 500 years in prison.
