Marshals escorting pedophile to Florida

A convicted pedophile who molested girls in Costa Mesa is en route to Florida, where he will face federal charges of crossing state lines with a girl to have sex with her illegally.

A magistrate judge in Fresno on Tuesday ordered that George Joseph England, 65, be extradited to Florida by U.S. marshals, after the FBI issued a warrant for England’s arrest the day before he was scheduled to be paroled in California.

England had served three years in state prison for molesting three girls more than 30 years ago.

He was convicted of the crimes in the 1970s but fled before his sentencing and was a fugitive for 29 years, before his arrest five years ago.

He’s now accused of taking a girl, whom he had bought in South Vietnam, to Florida to have sex with her.

Local authorities were concerned that England, who they consider to be a sexually violent predator, would be released into the public.

But the woman whom England allegedly took to Florida told her story to the FBI last week, and gave them enough to charge him.

Officials said that if he’s convicted, England will likely receive life in prison.

— Joseph Serna