Accused child rapist caught 24 years after alleged assaults

A man accused of raping a 12-year-old girl 24 years ago in Broward County was nabbed Monday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Arnold Prochette, 63, formerly of Pompano Beach, was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation on a victim under 16 years old by an offender over 18 years of age, records show.

Back in the summer of 1995, a 12-year-old girl awoke twice to find the same man forcing himself on her. He was caught in the act by the girl’s uncle the second time, and that was the last the suspect was seen around here until Monday, investigators said.

According to court records, the alleged sexual assaults happened on June 25 and July 16 of 1995 in a Pompano Beach home.

Prochette, who was 39 at the time, was a friend of the family.

The attacks were reported to the Broward Sheriff’s Office July 23 of 1995, and the girl and her uncle were questioned July 27.

The uncle said he heard noise coming from her bedroom and walked in to find Prochette on top of the girl.

She told detectives she was asleep both times Prochette entered her bedroom. The first time he forced himself on her, and the second time he asked if she wanted to have sex. She refused and he sexually assaulted her anyway, the report stated.

The girl was examined and there was evidence to support her claims, detectives said.

Prochette disappeared before he could be arrested. He left his wife and quit his job without notice.

Records show he was born in Haiti, that he was living in North Carolina, and that he also goes by the name Octave Prochette.

At his first court appearance on Wednesday morning, Prochette

was ordered held in the Broward County Jail on bonds totaling $100,000. That is a significant increase from bonds totaling $20,000 for the original charges of indecent assault in 1995.

Public defender Dale Miller asked the judge to keep that bond amount, but Broward assistant state attorney Eric Linder countered the bond amount should be increased because Prochette fled the county 24 years ago.

Prochette is also facing federal immigration detention, records show.

Prochette