Fugitive sex offender arrested

BONNERS FERRY - Convicted sex offender Don Leo Cox Fritzsche was arrested in Bonners Ferry on Thursday afternoon on a federal warrant and is being held in custody at Shoshone County Jail on $100,000 bond.

The 33-year-old Bonners Ferry man was being investigated for months by Lt. Corey Thompson with the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office for reports of Fritzsche inappropriately touching a 10-year-old girl.

Fritzsche, who is a registered offender, was booked into the jail Thursday afternoon. He faces two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under 16 dating back to last year.

Thompson said the girl reported the abuse to a school counselor in March. Fritzsche had been staying along the St. Joe River near Avery at the time. A month after she reported the abuse, Thompson said Fritzsche caught wind of the investigation and warrant. Authorities were worried he had left Idaho or the country, Thompson said.

At that point, Lt. Shane Havelin, a member of the North Idaho Regional Violent Crimes Task Force, and Thompson secured a federal Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP) warrant.

In tracking the suspect, Fritzsche appeared to be covering ground quickly, moving between multiple states before he was caught in Bonners Ferry.

Prior to his arrest, Fritzsche's file was posted on America's Most Wanted's Web site for several months. If it were not for a tip from a Bonners Ferry resident who saw the suspect, Thompson said police would have never known Fritzsche was back in Idaho.

“Thank God for America's Most Wanted, because that lead was huge for us finding out he was back in town and getting him off the streets,” Thompson said.

Fritzsche was arrested at his uncle's home on Katka Road. However, the suspect was uncooperative and hid in the house, where fireams were present, Havelin said.

Fritzsche was ultimately taken into custody around 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

“He didn't want to go quietly,” Havelin said. “It's nerve-racking any time you have to deal with a threat of this type in a foreign environment that is known to have firearms inside.”

A local officer also works with Project Safe Childhood through the Idaho Attorney General's Office and said he was somewhat relieved to have Fritzsche behind bars.

“It's one piece of the puzzle. The arrest is great, but we need to bring justice to this little girl through the courts now,” Thompson said.

Thompson said Fritzsche may face charges in other states as well for violating rules as a registered sex offender.