Scottish man suspected of rape, faking own death caught months after Central Coast search

That SLO County handyman with a Scottish brogue can finally rest easy.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office says another Scottish man, this one accused of multiple rapes, who was believed to have faked his own death on the Central Coast has been caught.

According to a Facebook post Friday night, 55-year-old Kim Vincent Avis (also known as Ken Gordon-Avis) was captured Friday by U.S. Marshals in Colorado Springs.

Avis, a Scottish citizen, first came to authorities’ attention in February, after his juvenile son reported he did not return from a swim at a local beach. After searching for Avis, police learned he was out on bail for 24 felony sexual abuse charges pending in Scotland.

According to the post, Sheriff’s officials became suspicious of the potential drowning report after speaking with Avis’s ex-wife. They also spoke with his son and “determined he was not telling the truth.”

The son was returned to Scotland with the help of Monterey County Child Protective Services.

Over the next few months, deputies searched for Avis, who was believed to have faked his own death.

In San Luis Obispo County, several witnesses reported seeing Avis, though those reports were largely attributed to an unlucky handyman in the area with a Scottish accent.

Local officials said there were no credible sightings of Avis in SLO County.

Since then, Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies have worked with the U.S. Marshals Service, Interpol and Scottish authorities to secure an arrest and extradition warrant for Avis, according to the Friday Facebook post.

“Last week, U.S. Marshals were able to track (Avis) to Colorado Springs due, in part, to a report in March that Avis was spotted in Monterey County driving a newer white ford van in the Big Sur area,” read the post.

Avis is being held by U.S. Marshals until his extradition hearing in Colorado Springs later this month.

This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 9:28 PM.