He fled the country to avoid prison. Kentucky brought him back.

A Grayson County child sex offender who disappeared before his September sentencing has been captured and brought back to Kentucky to face justice.

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William Lee "Scott" Carter was arrested and returned to the commonwealth this week, more than four months after he failed to show up for his scheduled sentencing hearing and fled the country.

Carter pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of second-degree rape, four counts of third-degree rape, and one count of first-degree sexual abuse. During the investigation, he confessed to the allegations.

But when his sentencing date arrived on September 2, 2025, Carter never showed up to court. A judge issued a warrant for his arrest, and investigators say he had left the United States entirely.

Captured with help from federal partners

Carter was eventually located by former Kentucky State Trooper Ken Borders, who now works with a federal law enforcement agency. With assistance from federal authorities, Carter was taken into custody and temporarily held in Chicago.

This week, two KSP troopers traveled to Chicago to bring the convicted rapist back to Grayson County. He has now been booked into the Grayson County Detention Center, where he'll remain while awaiting sentencing.

"This case demonstrates our continued commitment to protecting children and holding offenders accountable, regardless of how far they attempt to run," said Detective Isaac Atwell, the lead investigator in the case. "We will not stop pursuing justice for victims, and we are grateful for the cooperation of our federal partners in ensuring this offender was returned to face sentencing."

'The system has failed'

The victim's mother, Chelsea Baird, spoke out in September after Carter disappeared, calling him "a monster on the run."

"Our family has endured the unthinkable," Baird told me at the time. "The system has failed to protect our daughter or deliver real justice."

According to court records, Carter was accused of having a sexual relationship with a girl who was less than 14 years old when the abuse started in June 2023. The relationship continued for about eight months.

Baird said Carter manipulated her daughter, promising "vacations, gifts, and convincing her she was in a 'relationship' with him."

The abuse came to light in February 2024 when the child disclosed what had been happening during a school conference. "She said she was 'in love' with her grandfather and that he was planning to run away with her," Baird explained.

Baird immediately reported the abuse to Kentucky State Police, and Carter was indicted three months later.

But the judicial process proved difficult for the family. Carter was released on bail shortly after his arrest, forcing Baird to take her daughter's protection into her own hands- even pulling her from school, where she had been communicating with him through school technology.

After more than a year working through the court system, the family was encouraged to engage in mediation. That July 2025 session resulted in a 13-year prison sentence through a plea agreement.

Carter was supposed to begin serving that sentence in September. Instead, he ran.

Now, he's back in Kentucky custody, waiting to finally face the consequences he tried to escape.

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