COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Another success story for Michigan’s Operation Survivor Justice, as a Branch County man has been extradited from Florida after being accused of sexually assaulting a minor almost a decade ago.
54-year-old Alex New was bound over in Branch County District Court Thursday on two counts of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct and one count of Second-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct.
New was charged by the Branch County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in 2016 but fled and eluded authorities before being located in Florida and returned to Branch County in June through Operation Survivor Justice. Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the partnership between the Michigan Department of Attorney General, local County Prosecutors, and the U.S. Marshals Service, to locate, apprehend, and return Michigan fugitive offenders with outstanding sexual assault warrants earlier this year.
According to Nessel, “Operation Survivor Justice is about ensuring that those who try to evade criminal accountability are brought to justice, no matter how long it takes or where they try to hide. Mr. New, who was once a fugitive, will now stand trial thanks to this vital partnership.”
New will be arraigned in Branch County Circuit Court September 23.
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