“Bad breath rapist” Tuen Kit Lee arrested in California after nearly 17 years

According to investigators, Lee raped a waitress at his family’s restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts, at knifepoint in 2005. The victim’s boyfriend found her several hours later tied to a bed with zip ties in her apartment.

Lee, who was indicted in 2007, posted $100,000 bail and was held in custody during the his trial in September of the same year. According to his testimony, police said, he fled before the scheduled closing argument and the jury found him guilty on all counts in absentia.

Lee was finally tracked down and arrested Tuesday in the East Bay Area of ​​Northern California following an operation coordinated by city, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

According to Massachusetts State Police, officers found information this year linking Lee to an address in Diablo, California, a multi-million dollar residence owned by a flower shop owner.

After a surveillance team observed an interracial couple leaving the address on Tuesday, Danville police officers stopped their car.

Lee gave officers an alias but was identified through his fingerprints and arrested, Massachusetts State Police said in a news release. The woman, whom police identified as his “female companion” of 15 years, was unaware of Lee’s identity, the agency added.

State police said they have conducted media campaigns to draw attention to the unsolved case and last year offered a reward of up to $10,000 for any information leading to his arrest.

“There are violent criminals out there who believe they can commit crimes without being held accountable for their actions,” said Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, deputy commander of the Marshals’ Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force.

“Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the tireless efforts of law enforcement to find and arrest him will hopefully bring peace of mind to the victim and her family.”