Heath Hayes

A North Carolina man on the run for nearly four years and wanted on child molestation charges finally met the end of the road at 7 a.m. Saturday in New Martinsville.

According to Deputy U.S. Marshal Chad Simpson, Heath Hayes, 32, of Chadborne, N.C., had been charged by Onslow County, N.C., law enforcement with 12 counts dated from Aug. 1 to Dec. 30, 2007.

Seven are counts of first-degree sexual offense, four are charges of indecent liberties, and one is a charge of rape. Hayes will also face fugitive from justice charges.

Simpson said the victim was seven years old when the alleged incidents occurred.

Hayes was being held Tuesday without bail at the Northern Regional Jail at Moundsville.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested him at 28 Rose St., New Martinsville, after a tip from the North Carolina Task Force pointed to his whereabouts in the city. Simpson said the federal marshals took charge of the warrant on June 22 after he could not be located in Chadborne or Onslow County.

Other residents of the home where Hayes was staying were not charged with harboring, according to Simpson. They claimed they had no knowledge of the charges against Hayes, though they admitted he is a friend.

Simpson added an investigation is pending regarding a wallet found in the vehicle Hayes was using. Identification and charge cards in the wallet were in the name of a North Carolina resident.