AUSTIN – Three of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted offenders are back in custody following their recent arrests. Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive Chad King was arrested Nov. 29. Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders Brandon Luera was arrested Nov. 27 and Lonnie Brown was arrested Dec. 5. Crime Stoppers rewards will be paid in the captures of King and Luera.
Chad Everett King, 34, was taken into custody in St. Louis, Mo., after members of the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, including Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Special Agents, coordinated with the U.S. Marshals Metropolitan Fugitive Task Force to locate him. The El Paso Police Department Crimes Against Persons Division and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the multi-agency fugitive investigation. In November 2018, King was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. He subsequently received two three-year sentences in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison to be served concurrently.
King had been wanted since December 2022, when warrants were issued out of El Paso County for his arrest for aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon, aggravated kidnapping - sexual abuse and six counts of aggravated sexual assault. For more information, view his captured bulletin.
Brandon Neal Luera, 40, was arrested in Lubbock, after members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Special Agents, located him. In 2002, Luera was convicted of aggravated sexual assault following an incident involving an 11-year-old girl. He subsequently received a five-year sentence of confinement in a TDCJ prison.
Luera had been wanted since April 2023, when the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a Parole Violation warrant for his arrest. Additionally, in June 2023, a warrant was issued out of Lubbock County for his arrest for failure to register as a sex offender. For more information, view his captured bulletin.
Lonnie Matthew Brown, 30, was taken into custody in Dallas, after members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Special Agents and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, located him. In 2012, Brown was convicted of indecency with a child by sexual contact following an incident with a 4-year-old girl. He subsequently received ten years’ probation.
Brown had been wanted since September 2023, when a warrant was issued out of Dallas County for his arrest for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements. For more information, view his captured bulletin.
Texas Crime Stoppers, which the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division funds, offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives or Sex Offenders. So far in 2023, DPS and other agencies have arrested 44 Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders, including 12 gang members and 22 sex offenders. In addition, $107,500 in rewards has been paid for tips that yielded arrests.
To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the following three 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 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 Fugitives and Sex Offenders 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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