Roman Polanski in the Hands of Authorities

Academy Award winning director Roman Polanski was arrested in Switzerland on Saturday night and charged with fleeing sentencing for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl back in 1977.

The Los Angeles district attorney's office requested the help of Swiss authorities to arrest the 76-year-old as prosecutors learned he was to travel through Zurich for a film festival. They then sent a request through the U.S. Justice Department, according to SFGate.com.

The director received support from various important people, including the French government, who had refused to extradite Polanski in the past. Polanski fled the U.S. back in 1978 when the judge in his case planned on dishonoring the plea bargain which would have granted Polanski's sentence to the jail time already served.

The 30-year pursuit of Polanski will mostly likely turn into an international tribulation as the L.A. district attorney risks leniency due to Polanski's foreign support.