A former transient who was questioned in the 1998 slaying of 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe is back in custody, just days after being released from prison, it was reported Wednesday.

Richard Tuite (pictured, left) was arrested Monday in Sacramento. State prison officials say that Tuite, 32, violated curfew at a halfway house after being released from prison on Saturday.

Tuite, who was serving a three-year sentence for an attempted burglary not related to the Crowe slaying, is in Sacramento County Jail.

As a condition of his parole, Tuite was required to wear an electronic monitoring device, according to Lynda Ward, a spokeswoman for the state parole office.

Tuite did not "report back by the allotted time and that triggered the alarm," Ward said.

The recent incident marks the fourth time in the past year that Tuite has been released from prison and then re-arrested for parole violations.

Tuite was spotted by several witnesses near the Crowe home in Escondido around the time that Stephanie (pictured, right) was fatally stabbed in her bedroom.

He was questioned by Escondido police shortly after the slaying and released.

Stephanie's brother and two of his high school friends were eventually charged in the girl's death. But one year after the slaying, DNA tests on a sweatshirt Tuite wore the night of the crime revealed traces of Stephanie's blood on one sleeve.

In light of the DNA evidence, a judge dropped charges against the three teenagers and Escondido police turned over the investigation into the murder to the sheriff's homicide unit.

Tuite maintains his innocence in the killing of Stephanie and the investigation continues.

Previous Stories:

• May 26, 2001: Man Investigated In Crowe Murder To Be Paroled
• November 28, 2000: Transient Suspected Of Escondido Murder Back Behind Bars