Florala man arrested in N.C., waiting extradiction
Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 18, 2010
Luther Paul Townsend of Florala, was arrested Wednesday in Lenoir, N.C., after apparently fleeing to there to avoid prosecution on charges he sexually abused a child in Florala, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Townsend, 74, was in the Caldwell County jail under $500,000 after officers arrested him in an auto parts store. The U.S. Marshals have been looking for Townsend since Feb. 26 and he now awaits extradition to Alabama.
According to Star-News archives from April of last year, Townsend was charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child under 12 and two counts of sexual abuse of a child after the Florala Police Department received a report from the grandmother of a 12-year-old. Townsend’s initial bond was set at $650,000.