By Aaron Drawhorn
KLAS [Phoenix AZ]
February 3, 2007
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6026023&nav=menu102_1
The hunt for a fugitive priest wanted on attempted murder and sexual assault charges is over and he'll face an extradition hearing on Tuesday at 8 a.m. at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix.
Father George Chaanine is in federal custody as of Thursday night. He is accused of violently attacking a local singer nearly a week ago and taking off.
He is being held on a $1 million bond on a charge of being a fugitive of justice.
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| The priest was captured in Arizona. |
FBI Special Agent David Staretz said a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution would be dropped so Chaanine could be extradited to Las Vegas to face the more serious Nevada charges.
Chaanine had his first appearance in a Phoenix courtroom Thursday night. According to court documents, the priest went to California, where he withdrew a large amount of money from a bank and then traveled to Arizona where he was arrested.
Police caught up with him in Arizona, east of Phoenix were he was arrested just before 3 p.m. in Apache Junction -- east of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa.
Police in Arizona did not have to chase Chaanine. According to Public Information Officer Tim Mason, they followed a suspect with a felony warrant until back up units arrived to make a traffic stop.
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The suspect was arrested without incident. Arizona police held him at the arrest site until they could turn him over to the FBI.
Metro officers are traveling to Arizona to interview Chaanine and to collect any evidence which may be present in his vehicle.
Following the return of those officers to Las Vegas, the results of their efforts will be analyzed and the department will proceed with its investigation.
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| Father Chaanine's mug shot after his capture in Arizona. |
Chaanine is charged with last Friday's attempted murder and sexual assault of Michaelina Bellamy, a singer at Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church.
His six days on the run took him from Las Vegas to Monterey, California to outside of Phoenix where he was pulled over this afternoon by Arizona Highway Patrol. Las Vegas authorities will be working to extradite the priest in the next few days.
The Diocese of Las Vegas released the following statement after Father Chaanine's arrest:
Bishop Joseph Pepe, head of the Diocese of Las Vegas, said today that he would like to commend law enforcement for their successful efforts in locating Father George Chaanine.
"We are relieved that Father Chaanine has been found and now justice can be served through the legal process. We have worked closely with the authorities and are hopeful that the information we provided proved helpful," said Pepe.
Pepe added that he wanted to thank the Las Vegas community and the parishioners of Our Lady for their support and prayer throughout this difficult time.
Reporter Melissa Duran will have reaction from the attorney of the alleged victim in the case.
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