The Nevada Highway Patrol has arrested an airman from Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, who went missing the days before his court-martial, said Linda Card, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Tech. Sgt. David Helm was arrested Monday night after being stopped in Reno on Interstate 580, Card said in an email to Air Force Times.
OSI is coordinating with Beale Air Force Base, California, and or Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to take Helm into Air Force custody, Card said. Security forces airmen will escort him back to Scott.
Helm is accused of sexually assaulting a girl and a women in series of alleged incidents between Jan. 1, 2012, and May 18, 2014, at or near LaFollette, Tennessee; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Scott Air Force Base; and Dayton, Ohio, according to a charge sheet provided to Air Force Times.
Helm is accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a girl who is younger than 16 years old, the charge sheet says. In one incident, he allegedly physically overpowered her.
The charge sheet does not include the name of the second alleged victim, whom Helm is accused of secretly filming the second alleged victim while she was in a private area. He is also accused of forcing a capsule in her mouth on three separate occasions, according to the charge sheet.
Helm's court-martial had been slated for Monday, but he went missing days beforehand. On June 4 OSI posted a wanted poster for Helm on its Facebook page, saying only that he is "wanted for questioning related to ongoing investigation."
One person commented on the Facebook page that the wanted poster is confusing because it does not say what type of investigation is ongoing.
"The poster is intentionally omitting details as it was drafted for the intended audience which in this matter is social media," OSI replied to the commenter. "Due to sensitivities, courtesy, and respect, we limit the amount of information presented and all postings are determined on a case by case basis."
A Nevada state trooper pulled Helm over on Monday because the motorcycle he was driving had a taillight out, said Trooper Dave Gibson, a spokesman for the Nevada Highway Patrol. After checking on the motorcycle's license plate, the trooper learned that Helm was wanted for desertion.
After checking Helm's license, the trooper distracted Helm by asking him to turn his motorcycle on to check the taillights, Gibson said. The trooper then "got control" of Helm and handcuffed him.
"There was no fight or anything," Gibson said. "Nobody went to the ground or anything like that."
An unnamed adult woman was riding as a passenger on Helm's motorcycle when he was pulled over, Gibson said.
Helm has served as the noncommissioned officer in charge of mission management for the 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron since Aug. 1, according to the Air Force Personnel Center. He has been assigned to Scott since July 15, 2013.
He has been with the Air Force since Nov. 28, 2000, and became a tech sergeant on Oct. 1, 2012.
