A south Louisiana man, who went on the run for more than 20 years after raping and molesting several children in the 1990s, has been sentenced to three consecutive life sentences in prison. Calcasieu Parish District Attorney Stephen Dwight says Choy Van Leo fled southwest Louisiana in 2000 after he was indicted and it was not until last year that he was found working at a restaurant in small town of Spirit Lake, Iowa.
“And it was a tip from a family member that said, ‘This is the last place we thought he may be,’” Dwight said.
The 61-year-old Van Leo was brought back to Louisiana, and he was convicted last month on three counts of aggravated rape and four counts of child molestation. Dwight says the victims were between the ages of four and 12-years-old and the crimes happened from 1992 to 2000.
“No matter how long ago it happened, we were still going to seek this justice for these victims, and they were strong. They, all seven, testified and faced their accuser,” Dwight said.
Dwight says the juvenile victims were either family members or friends of his family.
Van Leo owned a restaurant in Sulphur and owned an Asian restaurant in Spring Lake, Iowa. Dwight says he thought he got away with it.
“He didn’t have a driver’s license, he didn’t have social media, he didn’t have anything like that,” Dwight noted.
Van Leo was arrested in May of 2024.
