David Hamilton
Members of the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force arrested David Hamilton, 47, for alleged child rape and related charges, at approximately 10:15 a.m. Friday in Aston, Pennsylvania.
Aston is a town of 16,592 located just west of Philadelphia in Delaware County.
Hamilton was arrested on multiple alleged sexual assaults which occurred over the past five years involving two female minors in the 100 block of Highland Avenue, in Feasterville-Trevose, police said.
After receiving a tip, members of the Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Aston Police Department surrounded a residence in the 100 block of Roberts Road, where they believed Hamilton was located. After Marshals knocked and announced their presence, investigators entered the residence. Marshals and Aston police officers searched the home, and Hamilton was found hiding in a second floor bedroom closet. He was taken into custody without incident.
It is believed the residence belongs to a female family member of Hamilton. He was transported to the Aston Police Department for processing, and the Lower Southampton Police Department was notified.
“This sexual predator placed the community in significant danger. We are extremely glad we were able to bring Mr. Hamilton in custody without incident and in a timely manner,” said Supervisory Deputy Robert Clark
This fugitive investigation was a joint effort by the U.S. Marshals Eastern Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force, and the Lower Southampton, Solesbury Township, and Aston police departments.
The Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force is a team of law enforcement officers led by U.S. Marshals in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties, who seek out and arrest violent crime fugitives.
The search for Hamilton, a 47-year-old Trevose man accused of multiple sexual assaults of two female minors which occurred over the past five years in Feasterville, began in the New Hope/Solebury on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 21, after he was spotted by a local resident near Stoney Hill and Reeder roads at around 3:45 p.m.
A New Hope police officer managed to catch Hamilton soon after, but he escaped into the woods after a brief fight, nearly grabbing the officer’s gun in the process. Hamilton had served as U.S. Army cavalry scout, reportedly completing three tours of duty in Iraq. He was charged on Sept. 21 with aggravated assault in relation to that incident.
New Hope and Solebury police officers scouring the woods were quickly joined by law enforcement personnel from Lambertville, Buckingham, Doylestown, Bedminster, Lower Southampton, Northampton, and Upper Makefield, along with K9 units from Quakertown, Lower Makefield, and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office.
Also joining the effort were Pennsylvania State Police, New Jersey State Police, Bucks County Park Rangers, and the Bucks County D.A.’s office.
David Hamilton
Authorities had advised nearby residents to shelter in place late Friday afternoon, and a helicopter could be seen and heard overhead until the early evening hours. The search area seemed to shift over time farther south along Sugan Road in New Hope toward Aquetong Road in neighboring Solebury Township.
The focus of the sweep had been the triangle formed by Aquetong, Sugan and Stoney Hill roads in Solebury Township. But by Saturday morning the search area had widened.
Police later learned that Hamilton was allegedly aided by Meredith Custodio, age 58, a live-in caretaker of an older woman at 241 Bobwhite Road in Solebury.
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