AUSTIN – Omar Cruz, 31, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive, is now in custody after being arrested March 15 in Laredo. Cruz was wanted for aggravated sexual assault of a child younger than 14 and forgery of a financial instrument in Amarillo. The arrest was the result of tip information, and a reward up to $7,500 will be paid. (Cruz was added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive list in December 2014.)
Working off tip information, a joint investigation between the U.S. Marshals Service offices in the Northern District and Southern District of Texas, and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Criminal Investigations Division led to Cruz being located in Matamoros, Mexico. On March 15, Cruz was turned over to members of the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force by Mexican authorities at the Laredo Port of Entry. Cruz was booked into the Webb County Jail and awaits extradition to Potter County. For more information, see the U.S. Marshals Service press release or his captured bulletin.
So far in 2016, DPS and other agencies have arrested five Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders, including three sex offenders and two gang members, and $12,500 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 four 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).
- Submit a tip through the DPS Mobile App. The app is currently available for iPhone users on the Apple App Store and for Android users on Google Play.
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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