A convicted sex offender who had been on the run since 2012 appeared in a Burbank courtroom today after being extradited from Mexico last week, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

Arthur Crabtree (dob 6/27/61) pleaded not guilty on Jan. 17, 2012 to one felony count of child molesting with a prior but failed to appear to a hearing in April 2012 and subsequently an arrest warrant was issued.

Crabtree's next court appearance is May 12 in Department 1 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Burbank Branch, at which time a date is expected to be set for a preliminary hearing.

Case GA084029 was filed on Aug. 17, 2011 alleging that the defendant was communicating though the internet with numerous young girls with lewd purposes. Crabtree was out on parole for a 2006 conviction on 10 counts including felony attempted lewd act upon a child and felony attempt to send harmful matter in case PA050648, prosecutors said.

Crabtree was arrested on April 21 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico by the FBI's Fugitive Task Force and returned to the United States. The defendant is a retired Glendale Police Department officer and also was an attorney, prosecutors said.

Crabtree is being held with no bail. If convicted as charged, the defendant faces a possible maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.

The case remains under investigation by the Glendale Police Department.

Los Angeles County District Attorney / case PA050648 / April 25, 2016