$1.5M warrant out for Crook County fugitive who failed to show for abuse trial

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A nationwide $1.5 million arrest warrant has been issued for a 35-year-old California man who failed to show up Monday for his Prineville trial on child sex abuse charges.

William Red Hawk Espinoza was due to go on trial in Crook County Circuit Court on three counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of second-degree unlawful sexual penetration, court records show.

Espinoza initially was indicted in 2016 in Crook County on charges involving a girl under age 14 for incidents between November 2015 and March of that year. Those charges were dismissed in 2018 and a new indictment was issued, alleging abuse between July 2015 and March 2016.

The Crook County Sheriff's Office said Espinoza was last known to live in Turlock, California, and his last self-reported location was in the Stanislaus County town of Hershey, California, where he claimed his car broke down on the way to court.

Espinoza has family in Turlock and also has ties to Stevenson, California, deputies said.

He was described as 5-foot-9 and 230 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. A "wanted fugitive" poster included photos of Espinoza with and without glasses.

Anyone with information regarding Espinoza was asked to contact Detective Sanchez at 541-447-6398.