The Rhode Island State Police Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested escpaped child molester Robert Leroy Spaulding, 34, of Johnston, yesterday in Providence after he turned himself in.  

Task Force members had been searching for Spaulding since Dec. 28, when The Adult Correctional Institution, who monitored Spaulding on home confinement while he waited trial for a July 23, 2010 First-Degree Child Molestation charge by the Burrillville Police Department, reported his bracelet had been removed. 

Spaulding, convicted of Second-Degree Child Molestation in 1997, had been on home confinement and monitored via electronic bracelet since Aug. 21, 2010. 

The RI Attorney General’s Office issued a Providence County Superior Court Warrant for Bail Violation for Spaulding Dec. 28, and asked the task force to search for him. The warrant was also provided to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), alerting law enforcement nationwide.

State Police issued a press release on the search yesterday, noting Spaulding, with a last known address of 762 Greenville Ave., Johnston, had lived in Burrillville, Glocester, and Woonsocket. 

Yesterday, Jan. 8, at approximately 1 p.m., Spaulding, who saw a news report on the search for him, contacted the State Police at the information number provided and turned himself in, said State Police Captain Michael J. Winquist. Spaulding was arrested without incident on South Main Street in Providence. "We believe by putting it out there, it assisted in his capture," Winquist said.

Spaulding is being held at the Adult Correctional Institution.

The Rhode Island State Police Violent Fugitive Task Force is comprised of members of the Rhode Island State Police, United States Marshal’s Office and the Providence Police Department.