Loomes Wheeler, the man accused of child molestation who fled his Kissimmee home last year, is now back in Osceola County and behind bars.

Wheeler was caught in the Bahamas this week, and Osceola County deputies believe an associate helped him leave the country.

Patrice Smith Bullard, 44, of Windermere, has been charged with accessory after the fact. Investigators say Bullard is a former business associate of Wheeler's who helped him flee the country.

Wheeler, 70, was arrested in April 2013 after a 9-year-old claimed he sexually battered her for years, starting when she was only 5 years old. Investigators said he removed a court-mandated GPS tracking device from his ankle in September and disappeared from his home.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office said the company monitoring Wheeler did not notify deputies until seven hours after he escaped. He was tracked down in the Bahamas and arrested on Monday.

According to investigators, U.S. Marshals received a call from Bullard on Sunday, indicating Wheeler had contacted her requesting assistance. She provided Wheeler with a few names and phone numbers of people she knew in the Bahamas, including her ex-husband, whom Wheeler was with when he was arrested.

Wheeler told Drug Enforcement agents that Bullard helped him leave Osceola County by driving him to Miami and providing him with a hotel room, until an unidentified male took him by boat to the Bahamas.

Bullard was questioned Tuesday and provided inconsistent statements, deputies said. She was arrested Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, where deputies say she was attempting to catch a flight to the Bahamas.

Deputies said Bullard was being brought back to Central Florida and will be booked into the Osceola County Jail.