GILBERT, AZ (AZ Family) — Authorities are looking for a runaway child abuse suspect who failed to appear at a court hearing Monday.

Randall Arrington faces multiple charges of sexual misconduct and abuse of a minor, and his family now fears for their safety.

We now know that both the US Marshal’s Service and Gilbert Police are actively searching for Randy Arrington.

He was on bail while he waited for his child sex abuse trial to begin early next year.

Now, a close family friend says the fugitive could be anywhere.

September 2023 – Arrington was arrested and charged with more than a dozen counts of child sexual abuse and molestation. It was a shock to everyone who knew him – including his wife at the time.

“I don’t think anyone could really believe them,” said their family friend. “She told him: ‘Get out of this house. You’ll never come back.”

This close family friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said that when those allegations were brought up by the victim years later, Arrington admitted to the years of abuse. Court documents show he confessed and said “something came over me that did this.”

“He was just the perfect husband, the perfect family man. He was, you know, he went to church, he was an executive at Empire, he just seemed like the perfect father, the perfect family,” the friend recalled of the person everyone thought they knew.

Arrington was supposed to be in court Monday for a pretrial hearing, but the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office confirmed he was a no-show.

That’s when the victim’s family said they received a disturbing notification. “His bracelet was cut and he’s on the run,” the friend said.

Gilbert Police confirmed that both their agency and the U.S. Marshals are actively looking for Arrington and have an arrest warrant for him, but the family friend believes that with Arrington’s financial means and information, he could be anywhere .

“He’s an outdoorsman, you know, he’s always been a gun fanatic, you know, he’s a world traveler,” the friend said.

This close friend said that once Arrington was out on bond, he asked a judge to move to Show Low instead of staying in Maricopa County. That request was denied. The friend said I think it was intended to go somewhere far away.

“I always thought this was to make that escape plan,” the friend said. “His family, they are concerned for their safety.”

The Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office said the judge will now have to decide whether or not the case will proceed to trial.

Randy Arrington is described as tall and thin with a tattooed sleeve. If you see him, please call Gilbert Police or the US Marshals Service.

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