A La Mesa man who turned fugitive after being charged with molesting a 16-year-old boy is in custody and under investigation for another alleged victim of the same age.
Jeffrey John McPherson, 41, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. He was arrested Tuesday by the San Diego Fugitive Task Force in Lakeside.
McPherson had been on the lam for nearly two months. The San Diego Fugitive Task Force spent thousands of dollars in overtime and informant's fees to catch up with him.
"You know, we had very little to follow up on. Normally we have family information. The family was covering for him. He did a very good job of covering his tracks," said Sgt. Russ Moore.
McPherson was charged in July with multiple counts of sex crimes involving a 16-year-old boy who was also a resident of La Mesa. Detectives say the two met on MySpace and the molestations occurred over a 9-month period at McPherson's home or in his vehicle.
"No allegations of drugs or alcohol. Allegedly he was showing him pornography, which is also a fairly typical thing these people will do to lower the inhibitions of their prospective victims, to help them feel more comfortable,” said Lt. Dan Willis.
McPherson is jailed on $305,000 bail. He ‘s facing a March 1 pretrial hearing and up to 50 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
La Mesa detectives say they're working on a case involving another 16-year-old boy.
McPherson's lawyer says his client has no prior criminal record and that the boys may have misled him about their age.
