The case of Charles Lewis Walton Jr. — a suspected child rapist on the run from East Lampeter Township police — will be featured tonight on TV's "America's Most Wanted."

Walton, 35, is charged with molesting a female relative for several years, beginning in 1995 when the victim was 6 years old.

Walton fled in 2003, just before East Lampeter Det. Michelle Velez filed charges against him. Velez since then has worked closely with U.S. Marshals to pursue Walton.

"We have been actively looking (for Walton)," Velez said Friday. "The problem is he is moving around, and we have family members who are not forthcoming with his whereabouts."

Described as having a small build at 5 foot 4 inches tall and 155 pounds, Walton has blond hair, blue eyes, a prominent scar between his eyes, tattoos on both his arms and legs and usually has a mustache.

Walton has outstanding warrants for rape, statutory rape, indecent assault, incest, corruption of a minor and aggravated indecent assault.

In 1995, Walton was 23 years old and living with family when he began raping a young girl living under the same roof, Velez said.

The girl, who was only 6 at the time, kept quiet about the abuse until after the final sexual assault occurred in February 2003, police said.

During that time, Walton would often move from one family member's house to another. He earned some money doing construction, but police say he's never held down a full-time job.

Velez has information indicating Walton could be in North Carolina or South Carolina, where he has family. His last known address was on East Main Street in Leola.

After sending Walton's information to "America's Most Wanted" a few months ago, Velez learned this week that the show will do a 15-second spot on the alleged child molester tonight. Walton's picture and profile also are on the show's Web site.

"I just came to a point about a year ago where I thought, 'He's down south somewhere, I can't go down there to look for him, the family is not helping me out,' so I figured I'd give 'America's Most Wanted' a shot," she said.

"Wanted" claims to have helped capture 946 fugitives since it first aired on Feb. 7, 1988. It features fugitives from the FBI's Most Wanted List, and perhaps its most high-profile case involved a tip that led to arrests in the abduction of Utah teen Elizabeth Smart in 2003.

The show was canceled in 1996, but after 30,000 individuals and 37 state governors complained to the Fox television network, a spokesman said, it returned six weeks later.

Despite having only a 15-second spot, Velez said she's encouraged the show will draw Walton out.

"I'm more hopeful than I have been in the last three years," Velez said. "(Walton has) slipped through the cracks, and the bottom line is we want to find him so he's not doing this to somebody else."

Anyone with information on Walton is encouraged to call East Lampeter Police at 291-4676.

Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers, (800) 4-PA-TIPS, is offering a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information that leads to Walton's arrest.

Velez has kept a copy of the Crime Stoppers flyer with Walton's picture and description on her desk since January.

"One of these days I'm going to write 'captured' across it," she said. " 'America's Most Wanted' has helped catch many criminals. Hopefully, it assists us this time."

"America's Most Wanted" airs tonight at 9 on Fox.

E-mail: pburns@lnpnews.com