Convicted sex offender Michael Andrew Stephens was brought back to the Islands from Mexico yesterday after 15 years on the run.

Stephens was to be taken to the O'ahu Community Correctional Center after being processed at the Honolulu police main station, and officials expect him to make his first court appearance on Thursday.

Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Stephens, 56, on Dec. 3 in Mexico.

He was taken to Houston before being brought to Hawai'i.

"Fifteen years is a long time," said Mark Hanohano, the U.S. Marshal for Hawai'i. "What drives us is the victims. We never give up hope. We are extremely pleased that justice is served in this case."

Stephens was convicted in 1990 of sexually assaulting and kidnapping a 16-year-old boy and was awaiting trial in 1993 on new sex assault charges when he fled and faked a disappearance at sea.

Three years later, Stephens applied for a U.S. passport at a U.S. Consulate in Mexico using his birth name, Michael Andrew Kulhanek, which allowed him to obtain a work permit in Mexico.

Stephens was helping run a restaurant in Mexico when he was arrested. His arrest followed a short profile on the show "America's Most Wanted" in April, which generated several tips and sightings.