Reward offered for arrest of wanted Othello man

OTHELLO — A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of a Othello man who allegedly raped a young girl and is now on the run after he was released from jail on bail.

Juan Zuniga, 51, of Othello, was arrested in November 2015 for first-degree child rape and subsequently booked into the Adams County Jail. The victim in the alleged rape was a 3-year-old girl and the incident reportedly occurred at Zuniga’s residence, according to the Othello Police Department.

Zuniga was released on bail and failed to appear at a court date on March 22 and a felony warrant was issued for his arrest. He has since fled the area and police believe he is in California and possibly traveling to Mexico. Zuniga’s route is not known by police and there is no description available of his vehicle. Border Patrol has been made aware of the case, according to the OPD.

“We are receiving sporadic leads on it (the case) and we are following up on the ones that seem reasonable,” Othello Police Department Assistant Chief David Rehaume said. “The story has been spread all up and down the West Coast right now and so we are getting coverage in the areas that we are most interested in.”

Rehaume noted a reward is being offered for information leading to Zuniga’s arrest through Crime Stoppers. If you know where Zuniga is, contact the Othello Police Department at 509-488-3312 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.