Child rape suspect David Hamilton Jr. captured in Aston, Pa.

ASTON, Pa. (WPVI) -- A child rape suspect from Bucks County, who had been the subject of a major manhunt across the area for the past week, has been captured in Delaware County.

David Hamilton Jr., 47, was taken into custody in Aston, Pa. on Friday morning.
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As officers led him out of a police station on Friday afternoon, Hamilton told Action News reporter Bob Brooks he was "innocent until proven guilty."

"I hope there's a good lawyer out there who will help me," Hamilton added.

When asked why police say he raped two children, Hamilton said "Because I know how the courts and the law is nowadays with all these cases. People assume you're guilty until proven innocent."

While on the run, Hamilton said he was trying to "get ahold of a lawyer who had money and who would help me."



The alleged crimes happened in 2013. When asked if he sexually assaulted children, Hamilton said, "No, I would never."



The arrest came following a tip that led the U.S. Marshals' Fugitive Task Force and the Aston Police Department to a home on the 100 block of Roberts Road around 10:15 a.m.

After entering and searching the home, the Marshals say Hamilton was found hiding in a second-floor bedroom closet in a home that belongs to his aunt.

He was taken into custody without incident.


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The nearby Sun Valley High School and Northley Middle School were placed on lockdown due to police activity in the area, but those lockdowns have been lifted.

A warrant had been issued for Hamilton on September 19 for assaulting two sisters, which the Marshals say occurred over five years.



He was being hunted by multiple agencies and was spotted several times.



The last sighting before Friday's capture was on Wednesday morning in New Castle County, Delaware.



Hamilton had eluded capture after a struggle with a New Hope police officer last Friday and was later photographed by a hunter in a wooded area nearby.
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On Wednesday, police announced the arrest of a woman, Meredith Custodio, who they say was hiding Hamilton in a Bucks County home in which she resided as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman.


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