Mexico man arrested on failure to appear warrant in Georgia rape case
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBI, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Mexico, Missouri, man who allegedly skipped out on his rape trial in Georgia was arrested Monday, authorities in a Georgia County say.
Mark J. Switzer was arrested in Mexico on a failure to appear warrant out of Walton County, Georgia, located east of Atlanta. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release that the FBI helped Georgia authorities track Switzer down.
Switzer is set to face trial on charges including aggravated child molestation, rape, incest, aggravated sexual battery and drug offenses in Walton County, according to the sheriff’s office.
Kenneth L. Jones of St. Louis was charged with hindering prosecution for allegedly harboring Switzer at the Days Inn hotel in Mexico, according to court documents. Investigators observed the two smoking cigarettes outside the hotel and found a door key on Jones when they pulled him over, court documents say.
Jones denied to investigators that he had been with Switzer, but Switzer was in Jones’ hotel room when law enforcement went inside, court documents say.
Switzer will be extradited to face trial in Georgia.