Ex-children’s show host pleads not guilty to rape charges
U.S. Marshals Service via AP
Frank Szeles is seen Jan. 25 2016, after his arrest in Bonita, Calif. Louisiana authorities claim Szeles is 76-year-old fugitive Frank John Selas III, a children's TV show host known as "Mr. Wonder" who fled Louisiana in 1979 amid allegations that he sexually abused several kids during a camping retreat. Szeles told a judge Wednesday he is not Selas.
Monday, May 16, 2016 | 5:34 p.m.
ALEXANDRIA, La. — A former children's show host has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from allegations that he sexually abused children during a Louisiana camping trip in 1979.
KALB-TV reports that 76-year-old Frank John Selas III entered the plea Monday during his arraignment in a Rapides Parish courtroom.
Selas' attorney, Mike Small, says his client is innocent.
In the late 1970s, Selas hosted the "Mr. Wonder" show on KNOE-TV in northern Louisiana. He allegedly fled to Brazil in 1979 and vanished for decades after parents accused him of abusing their children on a camping trip in central Louisiana.
Selas was arrested in San Diego in January and indicted in February on two counts of aggravated rape and other charges relating to one alleged victim. Last Thursday, sheriff's deputies escorted him on a flight back to Louisiana.