Police confirm absconded sex offender found in Lubbock

Mateo Rosiles, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
·2 min read

An absconded registered sex offender who was believed to be armed and dangerous is back in custody, Lubbock police confirmed.

According to LPD, on Aug. 22, 2023, officers became aware that 51-year-old Robert Cooks, a Lifetime Sex Offender registrant, had not reported his correct home address.

He had since failed to report his correct address and was accused of being out of compliance for about 80 days.

Police confirmed he was arrested late Monday near 34th Street and Boston Avenue. Other details about his arrest were not immediately available. He remained in the Lubbock County Detention Center as of Wednesday.

Cooks was sentenced in 1989 to 99 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault and burglary of a habitation with intent of sexual assault in Smith County, according to court records.

The victim in that case was a 56-year-old woman, according to the Texas Sex Offender Registry website.

He began registering with the Lubbock police's sex offender registry unit in December 2020 after he was released on parole.

In June, he listed his sister's address as his residence, saying she allowed him to live with her.

However, on Aug. 22, Cooks' sister reportedly told his parole officer that he had not been living with her for "several months," according to a Lubbock police report.

That same day, a detective with the LPD sex offender registry attempted to contact Cooks at his listed address but was unable to speak to him there.

Cooks reportedly called the detective later, saying he was not at his listed residence because he was "doing landscape work at night time," the report states.

However, Cooks never reported his employment as a landscaper and the detective believed he was lying as "landscaping is not usually a job that is performed at night," the report states.

Cooks had an active arrest warrant for Failure to Comply and other warrants from additional agencies.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Police confirm absconded sex offender captured in Lubbock