LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- LMPD found an international fugitive wanted on numerous child sex abuse charges living in Louisville. Robert Stiver was already a convicted sex offender in Kentucky, and it's where he was living that set off the red flags.
The 54-year-old man walked shackled into court Wednesday morning, accused of violating the terms of the state Sex Offender Registry. When Stiver was arrested last week, LMPD discovered he was wanted for nine child sex abuse cases in Germany -- cases he appeared unaware of.
The judge asked in court, "Do you have any questions for me?"
Stiver asked, "How long, where was this at, how long and who is?"
The judge's response: "It is from Germany and we know there is a valid INTERPOL warrant and under Kentucky revised statue the Commonwealth can hold you."
Neighbors such as Shaun Dell say Stiver was often bizarre: "Like, he only stares at the kids when they're out here, he don't pay no attention to grown folks and I just knew something was up with him."
Another neighbor, Chandra Hall, says, "You have children and they're out here every day playing, and this neighborhood is full of children and for someone to be that close is just terrifying, it's scary."
Stiver was convicted in Kentucky in 2009 for sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 and sodomy against a nine year old.
It's wasn't new victims that landed him in court -- instead, a Louisville officer doing a sex offender check, found Stiver lived too close to the Little Blessings Child Development Daycare on Winkler Avenue.
Stiver lived in Apartment # 1, which 980, feet according to police, from the daycare. But if he lived in a unit on the other side of the complex, he may not have been arrested at all because 980 feet is just 20 feet shy of the law.
In Kentucky, registered sex offenders can't live within 1000 feet of daycares, schools, or public playgrounds. A first offense is only a misdemeanor charge, but with international cases pending, Stiver may not return to his apartment for a very long time."
"It's just horrific, that's the only way I can describe it," Hall says.
Our calls and emails to INTERPOL, the international police agency who put out the warrant, were not returned and LMPD will not comment on an international case.
Stiver will likely face his sex offender compliance charges here, before extradition. His bond was set at $500,000, full cash.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
Robert A. Stiver (Source: Louisville Metro Corrections)
