A Michigan State University medical resident accused of sexually assaulting two patients at a university health care facility tried to flee the country, attempting to board a flight to the Netherlands, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection told the Detroit Free Press.
Federal officers detained Arpit Saxena, 39, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on the evening of Sept. 10, acting on a felony arrest warrant for criminal sexual misconduct.
"CBP officers encountered Saxena at the departure gate as he attempted to board a flight to Amsterdam," a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a Sept. 18 emailed statement to the Free Press.
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The warrant for his arrest was visible through the National Crime Information Center, a centralized database that includes information about missing people as well as those who are wanted by authorities.
The agency's officers routinely "compare international passenger and cargo manifests against law enforcement databases, including the National Crime Information Center, to identify travelers and cargo that may require additional inspectional scrutiny, including individuals with outstanding arrest warrants," the statement said.
MSU's Department of Police and Public Safety was alerted when Saxena was identified at the airport, said Nadia Vizueta, the department's communications manager.
"They gave us a call to let us know that they had him," Vizueta said. "We did let them know that there was a warrant, and to go ahead and do that hold."
'Fugitive from justice' held in Georgia
Records from the sheriff's office in Clayton County, Georgia, refer to Saxena as a "fugitive from justice" who was taken into custody at the county jail in Jonesboro at 11:09 p.m. Sept. 10, after being detained by customs officers.
It's unclear where Saxena lived in the span of 16 months between April 3, 2025, when police began investigating the first sexual assault allegation, and Sept. 3, 2026, when the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office charged him with three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
"When he was dismissed from Michigan State University, I'm not sure where he went, specificially," said Mike Yankowski, MSU's chief of police and executive director of public safety, during a Sept. 11 news conference.
"We do know where he did have some residency during that time period, but I'm not sure where he went after that."
Documents filed in 54-B District Court in East Lansing show that Saxena's mailing address was in Centreville, Alabama, said Scott Hughes, the community outreach coordinator for the prosecutor's office.
"I'm not aware of how long he was out of the state of Michigan," said Yankowski, adding that the department had been "actively trying to contact and locate" Saxena.
Yankowski acknowledged he couldn't speak to what was going through Saxena's mind as he tried to board the Amsterdam-bound plane, but said: "I can tell you that we had communication with him and asked for him to cooperate and ... he was found at a[n] airport."
It might be a while before Saxena returns to Michigan to face the criminal sexual assault charges. The extradition process can take weeks, Yankowski said.
As of Sunday, Sept. 20, Saxena remained in the Georgia jail. No bond was set.
Both of the alleged assaults occurred in early April 2025, said Amber McCann, university spokesperson and director of issues management.
District court records list Michael E. Carter of the Detroit-based Honigman law firm as Saxena's attorney. The Detroit Free Press reached out to Carter, but did not get an immediate response.
The sexual assault charges against Saxena come 10 years after the Indianapolis Star first detailed allegations that MSU sports medicine doctor Larry Nassar sexually abused athletes while working with USA Gymnastics. Nassar was later convicted on criminal sexual assault and child pornography charges stemming from the abuse of hundreds of girls and women for more than two decades both at MSU and with USA Gymnastics. He convinced many of his victims that his abuse was a form of medical treatment. He is now serving life in prison.
The Nassar case roiled the MSU community and its fallout led to the resignations of then-MSU President Lou Anna Simon and Provost June Youatt. William Strampel, the former dean of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, was convicted on charges tied to his sexual harassment of medical students and inaction when he learned of an earlier sexual abuse complaint involving Nassar.
Former MSU gymnastics coach Kathie Klages also was convicted of lying to police, denying that she knew about Nassar's abuse in 1997, when two teenage gymnasts reported sexual assault. Her conviction was later overturned on appeal. Simon was similarly criminally charged and accused of lying about knowledge of Nasar's abuse. She was not convicted.
The U.S. Department of Education cited MSU for Title IX violations for its poor handling of the Nassar case, and fined the university $4.5 million. The university also was ordered to restructure its Title IX office and improve how it handles accusations of sexual assault.
Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com.Subscribe to the Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU medical resident accused of assault was 'fugitive from justice'
