Onondaga County sex-crime fugitive arrested in Florida, faces extradition

Robert Doughty-Wilder was arrested in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, on June 26 and remained held in Volusia County as Onondaga County officials worked to bring him back to Upstate New York. The 26-year-old is wanted on serious sex-crime charges out of Onondaga County, and the arrest set in motion the extradition process that must play out before the case can move forward locally.

The charges listed in the case include second-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree attempted rape and second-degree criminal act. Those allegations fall under the work of the Onondaga County Special Victims Bureau, which District Attorney William J. Fitzpatrick created in 1992 to handle child sexual and physical abuse, sexual assaults against adults and domestic violence.

Onondaga County warrant detectives worked with Florida authorities after concluding that Doughty-Wilder may have been hiding in the state. The Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety apprehended him on a New York warrant, and he remained held in Volusia County. Body-worn camera footage captured the arrest.

Extradition is the process that allows New York to regain custody of a suspect arrested in another state. Until that transfer is complete, the case cannot resume in an Onondaga County courtroom.

The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office has long warned that some fugitives may be armed and dangerous and tells the public not to take action on its own.