NORTHAMPTON, Mass.- A Northampton man charged with possessing and creating child sexual abuse material was captured in Ecuador and extradited to Massachusetts after remaining on the run since 2020, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.
Jude Demeis, 55, of Northampton, was identified during an investigation that began in March 2019 after police received a report that a Northampton resident had shared a video through social media believed to contain child sexual abuse material.
A Hampshire County Grand Jury indicted Demeis in September 2019 on three counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of posing or exhibiting a child in a state of nudity.
An arrest warrant was issued, but law enforcement was unable to execute it because Demeis had fled the jurisdiction, according to the district attorney’s office.
The Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and the FBI were among the agencies involved in efforts to locate him.
The FBI located Demeis in Ecuador in early 2026. He was subsequently arrested by Ecuadorian authorities at the request of the United States.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs assisted the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office in securing Demeis’ arrest in Ecuador and extradition to the United States.
The FBI’s Office of the Legal Attaché in Colombia, the U.S. Embassy in Quito and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service also assisted in the effort.
Subscribe to The Shrewsbury Post Updates
