Suspect shows at Nye jail

The man accused of showing off a homemade videotape of the rape of a 3-year-old girl surrendered to authorities in Nye County on Sunday.

Darrin Tuck, 26, turned himself in at the Nye County jail at about noon after evading police for about a day, said Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo.

DeMeo said his office submitted a criminal complaint of possession of child pornography and exhibiting child pornography against Tuck to the local district attorney's office. The charges are expected to be filed today, police said.

Tuck was on probation for failure to pay child support. Authorities revoked his probation after accusing him of the child pornography charges.

Authorities said Tuck turned the videotape over to police on Sept. 8. Tuck eventually told authorities he found the videotape in the desert several months ago, but didn't bring it to authorities because he was scared, police said.

The tape shows a man, whom police allege is Chester "Chet" Stiles, sexually assaulting the girl in several ways. The tape prompted a nationwide search for the girl and her assailant.

On Friday, authorities announced they found the girl safe in Las Vegas. She is now 7 years old. They also said they had determined that the assault took place in Las Vegas.

The victim's family identified Stiles as the man on the videotape. Stiles was "a friend of a friend" of the victim's family, DeMeo said. Police and the FBI have teamed up in a cross-country search for the 37-year-old Stiles, but as of Sunday night, he remained at large.

Stiles had previously been arrested at least five times between 1999 and 2003 for auto burglary, battery and domestic violence, possession of an unregistered firearm and assault with a deadly weapon, among other charges.

Authorities also issued a warrant in 2004 for Stiles' arrest on charges of lewdness with a minor. In that case, authorities alleged that Stiles molested a then 6-year-old girl in Las Vegas.

Tuck is unfairly being connected to Stiles, said one of Tuck's attorneys, Harry Kuehn. He said Tuck is being railroaded by the Nye County sheriff's office.

He accused the sheriff of spreading misinformation about Tuck that will prevent him from getting a fair trial locally.

"The misstatements and exaggerations have effectively destroyed Las Vegas or Nye County as a venue for his trial," Kuehn said on Sunday.

Kuehn said Tuck didn't hold onto the tape for five months and didn't play the video for other people, as is alleged by the sheriff's office.

"We're incensed that no one could shut up long enough for my client to get a fair trial," he said in a comment directed at DeMeo.

DeMeo, however, maintained that he acted properly throughout the case and blamed Tuck's attorneys for talking too much.

"We understand the right to a fair trial and not to put the case out into the open. We commented that he (Tuck) was wanted for possession (of child pornography) and exhibiting child porn. Then the lawyers went public," he said.