Brazilian police arrest fugitive cult leader from Minnesota

MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune

Victor Barnard, the Minnesota man who authorities allege ran a cult in Pine County that victimized young women, was arrested Friday in Brazil after nearly a year as a fugitive.

Brazilian media outlets reported that Barnard, 53, was arrested in Rio Grande do Norte, the northeasternmost state of the South American country.

Barnard, 53, had eluded law enforcement since he was charged in April 2014 with 59 crimes related to the sexual abuse of girls who lived at his River Road Fellowship camp near Finlayson, a small town just off Interstate 35 southwest of Duluth.

He was added to the U.S. Marshals Service’s 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list in November.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.