MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Wade Astle, a suspect on Maricopa County's Most Wanted list, was arrested after authorities were alerted to his location in Vietnam.
Astle, 46, was placed on the list for 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in 2017. In 2018, he was indicted in Maricopa County, but officers were unable to locate him.
Astle went to the American Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City, where one of the employees noticed he was wanted in the United States. The Vietnamese government worked with the U.S. Marshals Service, leading to Astle's arrest.
On Oct. 20, U.S. Marshals officers arrested Astle and on Oct. 23, Astle was taken to the airport for transport to California. He is waiting for transport back to Maricopa County from the LA County Jail following COVID-19 quarantine guidelines.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office will be working through more physical evidence found with Astle in Vietnam. He also may have gone to Thailand and Costa Rica between 2017 and 2020.
The Sheriff's Office is thanking the Vietnamese government for working closely enough to return Astle to the United States. They are asking anyone who may know Astle or have been a victim to contact them.
You can call the sheriff's office at 602-876-1011, 602-876-TIPS (8477) or email Tips@mcso.maricopa.gov.