Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Child rape charges against the Emporium man who had been on the run from police for five years have been bound to Cameron County Court. 28-year-old Joseph Chapman is accused of raping an 8-year-old girl in 2006. He’s scheduled to be in court on Tuesday. Chapman was being held in the McKean County Jail back in 2007 when he walked away from a work detail. He was picked up earlier this year in Chautauqua County after a woman recognized him on an episode of “America’s Most Wanted” and contacted police. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Accused rapist Joseph Chapman of Emporium pleaded guilty Thursday in McKean County Court to an escape charge. The 28-year-old walked away from the McKean County Jail in July of 2007 and spent nearly five years on the run. He was arrested on May 20 near Dunkirk, New York, after a TV viewer recognized him on the show “America's Most Wanted.” He was originally in jail after being charged with raping a seven-year-old and eight-year-old girl in Cameron County. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Former fugitive Joseph Chapman is back in jail, but he will be on America’s Most Wanted again on Friday. The show will feature an update on Chapman, who was captured because a Stockton, New York, woman saw him on America’s Most Wanted and called police. Chapman escaped from the McKean County Jail in 2007, where he was being held after violating his probation in Cameron County. He is still facing charges related to the rape of an 8-year-old girl in Cameron County. Since his escape, he lived in East Amherst, Depew and Gasport before moving to Chautauqua County last fall’ He had been using the name Joshua Tompkins, and had been working as a construction worker, handy man and security officer. The update on America's Most Wanted airs on the Lifetime Network at 9 p.m. on Friday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Here’s a reminder that convicted rapist Joseph Chapman will be featured in tonight’s episode of America’s Most Wanted at 9 p.m. on the Lifetime network. The 28-year-old escaped from the McKean County Jail in 2007. He’s wanted in connection to the sexual assault of an 8-year-old girl. The story on Chapman is part of an AMW two-hour special – “50 Fugitives in 50 States.” U.S. Marshals are still actively seeking information from the public in helping to find Chapman. http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=77464 The original news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947