Police arrest rape suspect who may have faked death to avoid charges

SALINAS >> A Scottish man who authorities say faked his death off California’s Carmel coast to avoid rape charges back home has been arrested, authorities announced Friday.

Kim Vincent Avis, 55, also known as Ken Gordon-avis, was arrested in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last week and is being held by the U.S. Marshals Service, Cmdr. Kathy Pallozolo with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said. The Associated Press has identified him as Kim Gordon.

Gordon’s 17-year-old son reported that his father vanished Feb. 25 after going for a nighttime swim in treacherous waters in Monterey. Searchers found no trace of Gordon at Monastery Beach, sometimes dubbed “Mortuary Beach” for its deadly reputation.

After three days of intense searching, detectives began to suspect a hoax. They say the son’s account lacked crucial details, and he couldn’t explain how the two got to California’s central coast after traveling by air from Scotland to Los Angeles.

“There was a lack of detail,” sheriff’s Capt. John Thornburg said at the time. “The son, who reported it, couldn’t even tell us where he went in under the water.”

Gordon’s son was returned to Scotland with the help of Monterey County Child Protective Services. He did not face charges for filing a false report.

Gordon, who is from the Edinburgh area, is wanted on 24 counts of rape in Scotland.

“When that came up, we start to wonder if this is a hoax, and he’s trying to escape these charges out of Scotland,” Thornburg said.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland told the BBC: “Police Scotland is aware of reports from the USA regarding Kim Gordon or Avis and is liaising with the relevant authorities.”