Lake County News, California – Clearlake man arrested in Mendocino County sexual assault case

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino County officials have arrested a Clearlake man after an investigation into a sexual assault case that lasted nearly a year.

Christopher Neil Kiger, 40, was taken into custody Thursday, according to a report from Sergeant Jason Logan of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Logan stated that the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into the sexual abuse of a minor in July 2023.

During the nearly year-long investigation, the agency’s investigators determined that suspect Kiger committed multiple acts of sexual abuse against a minor victim. These acts included continuous sexual abuse of a child, lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under the age of 14, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, oral sex upon a minor under the age of 14, and sexual penetration with a foreign object.

Mendocino County Sheriff’s detectives discovered that when Kiger learned of this investigation, he fled the state of California to avoid arrest, Logan said.

Logan said this case was submitted to the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office for consideration of a warrant for Kiger’s arrest. The case was filed in Mendocino County Superior Court and a warrant was subsequently issued for Kiger’s arrest.

In May, sheriff’s detectives learned that Kiger may have returned to the area. Detectives tried to locate Kiger in Lake County, where he has family members, Logan said.

During those attempts, Logan said, sheriff’s detectives learned that Kiger knew he was wanted and somehow knew the amount of bail set on the warrant.

Logan said sheriff’s detectives learned that Kiger was attempting to evade arrest until he could raise the required amount for bail. It should be noted that bail was set at $425,000 under the State of California’s bail schedule for the above-mentioned offenses.

On Thursday, sheriff’s detectives used investigative tools to track down and locate Kiger at a remote location on Williams Ranch Road near Willits, where Logan said he was believed to be working on an illegal cannabis business.

Sheriff’s detectives found Kiger fleeing on foot into a nearby wooded area. After a short foot chase, sheriff’s detectives were able to catch Kiger and take him into custody without injury to Kiger or the detectives pursuing him, Logan said.

Kiger was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on the warrant. The warrant included charges of continuous sexual abuse of a minor, lewd or lascivious acts on a child under 14, oral copulation with a minor under 14 and penetration of a victim under 14 with a foreign object, Logan said.

Logan said sheriff’s detectives contacted a Mendocino County Superior Court judge and requested an increase in Kiger’s bail because he had a history of fleeing the state of California and evading arrest upon his return.

That request was granted and Kiger’s bail was set at $1 million, Logan said.