Hourly Update

Convicted child molester arrested on suspicion of having sex with minor

A convicted child molester living in Pima County was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of having sex with a minor, an official said. Carl Edward Lane was booked into Pima County jail on suspicion of one count of child molestation and one count of sexual abuse, according to court records. Deputies apprehended Lane at his home in the 10800 block of South Cherokee Lane, about 30 miles southwest of Tucson, said Deputy Dawn Barkman, a Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman. He was taken into custody without incident. A 16-year-old girl told authorities on Monday that Lane had molested her for as long as she could remember. She and her mother lived with Lane since she was 3 years old. She told investigators that Lane attempted to have sex with her when she was 8 or 9 years old, according to the affidavit. He also made her pose for three photographs when she was nude from the waist down. He kept the photos on a small disk. The victim told investigators that in January 2006 she agreed to take another set of nude photos for Lane, and he drove the girl to a desert area near West Ajo Highway and West Hermans Road, according to the search warrant affidavit. A Sheriff’s deputy confronted Lane when he saw his vehicle finding it suspicious because it was far off the road in a desert area behind a hill. Lane seemed nervous when the deputy approached, but when interviewed separately, the girl denied having had sexual contact with Lane, according to the affidavit. Child Protective Services also investigated, but according to the affidavit the victim told authorities she also lied to the CPS caseworkers. She said she lied because she was afraid of going into foster care and hurting her mother, according to the affidavit. Lane served time in prison after being convicted of two counts of child molestation in 1984, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections. The 16-year-old girl knew he’d been in prison, but thought it was for kidnapping and robbery, according to the affidavit. Lane was convicted in 1984 for having sex with 7- and 9-year-old girls. The Arizona Daily Star is not naming the children because they were victims of sexual abuse.