A Port Townsend man remains jailed on $200,000 bail after his arrest for being a fugitive from justice in California.

Mathew Sloane Prunty was arrested Nov. 10 after the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a detective with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office who said they had been looking for Prunty since March to arrest him for lewd and lascivious act with a minor under the age of 14.

A deputy contacted the residents of a property on Second Street where Prunty was believed to be staying, but the residents said he wasn’t there, but shared Prunty’s phone number.

When the deputy called Prunty and said he wanted to meet with him to talk about the criminal case in California, Prunty refused to meet or say where he was, according to court records.

Law enforcement got a search warrant for the property on Second Street and he was found there and arrested on a nationwide arrest warrant that had been issued in California. 

Prunty was arraigned on the charge of being a fugitive from justice in Jefferson County Superior Court, and he entered a pleading of “not guilty.”

Authorities noted Prunty is a flight risk with a long criminal history.

His history includes arrests on two terrorism charges, arson (property), arson (structure/forest land), burglary, battery with serious bodily injury, false imprisonment, felony vandalism, causing fire to property, receiving stolen property, and other charges.