According to the conference Mary "No Comment" Lacy gave this morning (she's the Colorado DA prosecuting this case), apparently they've been after this guy for months, and she sort of hinted that there was a chance he might have taken off if they hadn't jumped in when they did and arrested him.
(The US authorities were working with the Thai authorities.)
Mary (I still want to say Keenan) Lacy also said - contrary to what Thai officials had said and others had reported - that he had started his first day of teaching at an international school in Bangkok on Tuesday.
(The others said it couldn't be confirmed whether he had applied for or gotten a teaching job there.)
I believe that was the hurry-up signal to do something before any children were hurt.