AUSTIN - Kevin Travis Waddell, 54, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender, is now in custody after being captured Thursday in Del Valle, Texas. Waddell was wanted for parole violation, failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements, and possession of a controlled substance. The arrest was the result of a tip, and a reward up to $3,000 will be paid.
Working off tip information, members of the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, including Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Special Agents, located and apprehended Waddell at a business near Del Valle (Travis County). Waddell had been wanted since September 2015.
In 1992, Waddell was convicted in Potter County of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison. For more information, see his captured bulletin.
So far in 2017, DPS and other agencies have arrested 12 Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders, including seven sex offenders and five gang members, and $35,500 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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