AUSTIN – Demus Lee Westmoreland, 52, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender, is now in custody after being captured Wednesday in Beaumont. Westmoreland was wanted for failure to register as a sex offender and probation violation. The arrest was the result of a tip, and a reward of up to $3,000 will be paid.
Working off tip information, members of the U.S. Marshals Service Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force located and apprehended Westmoreland at a residence on the west side of Beaumont. Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Special Agents and the Berea Police Department in Kentucky also assisted in the investigation. Westmoreland had been wanted since February 2017, after absconding from his last known address in Galveston.
Westmoreland’s criminal history includes a 2008 conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by exposure after a Fort Bend County incident involving a 6-year-old girl. For more information, see his captured bulletin.
So far in 2017, DPS and other agencies have arrested 21 Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders, including 10 sex offenders and 12 gang members, and $51,000 in rewards have been paid for tips that resulted in arrests.
To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the three following methods:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
- Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about, and then clicking on the link under their picture.
- Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the "SUBMIT A TIP" link (under the "About" section).
All tips are anonymous – regardless of how they are submitted – and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.
DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Sex Offender lists. You can find the current lists – with photos – on the DPS website.
Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.
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