A dogged 3-year effort by Washington County authorities led to a key arrest in Mexico.
Ingmar Adir Chew Moran, a 52-year-old former Kewaskum resident “who had fled to Mexico in 2020 to avoid prosecution on serious sexual assault of a child charges” is now in custody in the Washington County Jail, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department has announced.
Ingmar Chew Moran “appeared in front of Washington County Circuit Court Judge Hetzel earlier this morning on the outstanding warrant and was given a one-million-dollar cash bond,” the release, issued on March 8, says. “He faces 140 years of confinement on charges of Repeated Sexual Assault of a Child and Sexual Assault of a Child Under 16 years of age. Further charges are anticipated in the future involving a second victim.”
“I comment Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis, his team and the multiple law agencies across the United States who were involved in investigating and apprehending Ingmar Adir Chew Moran,” said Washington County Executive Josh Shoemann. “I am especially pleased the $1 million cash bail will ensure he remains off the streets while he awaits trial. This heft bail helps ensure justice will be served.”
On December 18, 2020, the Village of Kewaskum Police Department “requested assistance from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with the sexual assault investigation that they had been working on,” the Sheriff’s release says. “Hours later, investigators conducted a search warrant at Chew’s Timblin Drive apartment. It was quickly learned that Chew had fled to Mexico earlier in the day.”
Over the next three years, Washington County Sheriff’s investigators “have worked closely with the FBI, US Department of Justice International Affairs Criminal Division, Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Mexican Authorities, and many more to lead us to where we are today,” the release says.
Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis said, “The process to obtain approval for Mexico to extradite one of their citizens is a long, arduous, and often frustrating process but in the end, hard work and tenacity paid off in the interest of justice. I was there the night of the search warrant back in 2020 and cannot describe the emotions we all experienced when we learned that Chew had narrowly avoided capture.”
Washington County Insider published a video of an interview with investigators:
Continued Schulteis: “Naturally, we all doubted whether we would ever see him again. My heart goes out to these victims and am hopeful that they will experience some level of peace knowing he is now back to answer these charges. Based on the high cash bail given, I am confident he will remain in our jail for the remainder of the justice process.”
Chew was taken into custody in Monterrey, Mexico in November of 2023 “on these charges and had remained in a prison in Mexico City until this Wednesday when he was flown to Chicago by FBI agents,” according to the release.
“At that time, he was turned over to the Chicago Police Department. Chew waived extradition to Wisconsin yesterday and was taken into custody by Washington County Sheriff Investigators at the Cook County Jail and returned to Washington County,” it says.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office “would like to extend our gratitude to all the partners who assisted in this case. In the interest of the victims, we will not be releasing any further details and ask that their privacy be respected,” the release says.
