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A convicted child molester — who once was “mentored” by Republican state Representative Jim Weiers — was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morning, where he was sentenced to some pretty serious prison time.
Judge Peter Reinstein sentenced Arthur Vitasek to 559 years in prison after he was convicted of multiple counts of sex-with-a-kid related crimes.
According to various news reports from the time of Vitasek’s 2006 arrest, from 1990 until 2005, Vitasek molested several young boys — ranging in age from 7-15 — in Mesa, Paradise Valley, and Phoenix.
An Amber Alert was issued for Vitasek in January 2005 when he was on the run with an 11-year-old traveling companion. The boy was later found at an apartment in Tempe, but Vitasek was long gone.
Vitasek remained one of Arizona’s most-wanted fugitives for nearly a year. He was arrested in Texas on sexual assault charges in September of 2006. When he was arrested, Vitasek was using the alias “Rich Loper.”
Authorities in Texas determined that “Loper” was actually Vitasek, and that he was wanted in Arizona on dozens of child molestation charges.
In November, Vitasek was convicted of each of the more than 30 charges.
Despite
being a violent pervert, Vitasek had a pretty powerful friend in
Arizona — a friend who once was accused of trying to cover up Vitasek’s
crimes.
Weiers and Vitasek had been friends since 1979. The two
met when Weiers hired Vitasek to work at a restaurant he owned in
eastern Texas. Weiers told police in 2006 that he was impressed with
Vitasek’s hard work and moved by his rough childhood — so he became
Vitasek’s “mentor.”
Vitasek eventually moved in with Weiers, his
wife, and their young child in the Weiers’ Texas home. Two years after
Weiers moved to Arizona, in 1989, Vitasek moved, too — again, living
with Weiers, his wife, and their growing family, which then included
three young children.
Vitasek stayed with the Weiers for a few months before finding his own place.
After
it was revealed that Vitasek was routinely molesting children, several
of the victims alerted police to Vitasek’s relationship with Weiers, who
was then the speaker of the House.
One victim even told police
that Weiers encouraged him to not talk to police about the abuse he
suffered at the hands of the representative’s pal.
“I deny ever
trying to . . . suggest that [the victim] not cooperate with the
authorities,” Weiers said of the allegations at the time. “To go ahead
and suggest that I’m anything other than what I’ve been is absolutely
wrong.”
Weiers was never charged with a crime. Read more about the alleged coverup here.
