By Matt Dees, Staff Writer
The News & Observer
DURHAM- John Francis Dye spent nearly three months running from charges he raped a teenage relative, police say.
He made it as far as the Dominican Republic before U.S. marshals caught up with him in an apartment last week in San Francisco de Macoris in the Caribbean nation.
A Durham police officer with the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Task Force monitored Dye’s Internet activity to learn his whereabouts, said Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael.
Dye, 48, a former UNC-Chapel Hill instructor and Durham resident, had sexual relations with the female relative for more than a year before his wife caught him in the act Sept. 24, according to court records.
She went to Durham police; he went back to Rochester, N.Y., where he taught at Nazareth College, Michael said.
Through his New York attorney, Dye told police Sept. 29 he would surrender. The next day, Dye’s attorney called Durham police to say Dye had “unhired” him, Michael said.
At the time, the U.S. Marshals Service was conducting Operation Falcon, a hunt for fugitives suspected of violent crimes.
Dye was added to the list.
Marshals learned through immigration officials that Dye had landed in Haiti on Oct. 3.
Last Wednesday, the FBI pinpointed Dye’s location. Within four hours, Michael said, Dye was in custody.
He was taken to Miami on Monday and will be extradited to Durham soon, Michael said.
Dye faces six felony counts related to raping the teenage girl: second-degree rape, crime against nature and two counts each of incest and intercourse by a guardian. Police aren’t releasing the name of the alleged victim or her mother.
Dye could face further charges as Durham investigators try to get more details in the case, Michael said.
Federal child pornography charges also are possible, Michael said, because more than 400 images were found on his UNC-Chapel Hill e-mail account.
Some of them depicted Dye having sex with the relative, who was 15 at the time, according to a search warrant.
Dye’s was employed at UNC-Chapel Hill from 1996 when he was still a graduate student to 2006 when he taught part time in a continuing education program, said UNC-CH spokesman Mike McFarland.
He received a master’s degree in sociology in 2001 and a doctorate from the school of education in 2003, McFarland said.
Dye’s prior criminal record contained only minor traffic-related charges, records show.
A woman at the home listed as Dye’s Durham address said she was just watching the house and didn’t want to comment. Neighbors also declined to comment.
Police this month searched the Durham home of LeAnne Campbell on Kingsbury Drive for evidence that she helped Dye flee. She is not expected to be charged in the case, Michael said.
Campbell travels to the Dominican Republic periodically, the search warrant said. Authorities found e-mail messages between Campbell and Dye after Sept. 25, including several on Oct. 5, two days after officials think Dye set foot in neighboring Haiti, according to warrants.
The search warrant said Dye had a business association with Campbell.
Campbell traveled to the Dominican Republic on Nov. 1 and stayed there for two weeks, the warrant said. She was interviewed by Durham police Nov. 27 and denied any contact with Dye.
Dye was sought for almost three months.
Copyright 2006 The News and Observer