Frank Karl Hertel was investigated by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in a case of molestation, in 2000. He was accused of having molested a close family member. He failed to appear for his trial and for years his whereabouts remained unknown. Hertel, age 49, was extradited and returned to Tucson on July 27, 2012.
Hertel was tried and convicted in absentia. In 2010, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department received information that he had fled to Germany with his wife and child. According to authorities, Hertel was living in the city of Useriner-Muehle and running the “Mustang Bar and Grill” under his brother’s identity. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department Fugitive Investigative Strike Team (FIST) worked with the United States Marshals Service, who started their pursuit of him.
According to court records. his daughter said she was molested for 15 years, from the time she was 3 years old until she was 18. His daughter said the abuse started when the family lived in Ohio and continued when they moved to Tucson. She first reported her sexual abuse in 1991 when she was in the eighth grade and the family was living in Ohio.
Efforts began to take Hertel into custody and return him to the United States. These efforts came to fruition and Hertel was booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center. Other legal matters against Hertel are pending in the state of Ohio. He is facing rape charges in Ohio after being accused of having sexual conduct with a minor on several occasions.