Convicted child sex offender last traced to San Francisco, now fugitive

A probation trail that ended in San Francisco has turned a child-sex-crime conviction into a fugitive case now echoing far beyond El Dorado County. Carl Cacconie, convicted by a jury on six felony counts involving lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14, was last placed in San Francisco before he disappeared.

The conviction came after a week-long trial and a unanimous verdict on July 17, 2025. Instead of being taken into custody immediately after the jury’s decision, Cacconie was allowed to remain free on bail and ordered back for sentencing later. He never returned. A bench warrant is now outstanding, and he is considered a fugitive.

For the victim’s family, the decision to let him leave court created a fresh wave of fear. Kaci Smith, speaking for the family, said the release left them feeling unprotected and worried that Cacconie could harm someone else or resurface without warning. The family has said it does not understand why a man convicted by a jury on multiple child-sex counts was not remanded immediately.

The fact that an El Dorado County probation report last traced him to San Francisco has widened the case from a county courtroom to a Bay Area public-safety concern. The city is now part of the unanswered question around where Cacconie went, how far he traveled before vanishing, and whether existing monitoring failed to keep track of a defendant who had already been found guilty by a jury.

The case also puts a spotlight on how local justice agencies share responsibility once a verdict is returned. The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office maintains warrant records, while the county probation department says its mission includes public safety and accountability. Those two functions now sit at the center of a case that has left families in South Lake Tahoe, Placerville, and across the Bay Area asking how a convicted offender was still free to disappear before sentencing.

At its core, the case is about trust. A jury spoke, a sentencing date was set, and the defendant vanished anyway. Until Cacconie is located, the episode remains a stark reminder that a release decision after conviction can carry consequences well beyond the courtroom, especially for the families left waiting for protection and finality.