Sauseda among Texas Top 10 Most Wanted offenders recently captured
One of the three Texas Top 10 Most Wanted offenders now back in custody had outstanding warrants in Gray County.
Texas Top 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender Juan Tiofilo Sauseda was arrested in Houston on June 28, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced. In addition, Shawn Paul Mueller was arrested in Houston on June 28, and Victor Manuel Gaeta was arrested June 24 in Anthony. A Crime Stoppers reward will be paid in Gaeta’s capture, DPS said.
Sauseda, 40, was taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force with coordination from members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force in Amarillo, including DPS Special Agents. The Houston Police Department assisted in the multi-agency fugitive investigation.
In 2009, Sauseda was convicted of indecency with a child by sexual contact and subsequently sentenced to 15 years of confinement in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison. He was last released on parole in 2021 and was required to register annually as a sex offender. He had been wanted since February 2022, when the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a warrant for his arrest for a parole violation. That same day, the Gray County Sheriff’s Office issued multiple warrants for Sauseda’s arrest for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements. Sauseda's last known address was in Pampa, according to the DPS website.
Mueller, 38, was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Special Agents. In 2007, Mueller was convicted of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and subsequently received a seven-year sentence of confinement in a TDCJ prison. In 2017, he was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and received probation. In 2020, Mueller was convicted of assault of a family/household member with previous conviction and subsequently received a two-year sentence of confinement in a TDCJ prison. Mueller had been wanted since October 2021, when the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a warrant for his arrest for a parole violation. Additionally, in November 2021, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Gaeta, 51, was arrested in Anthony (El Paso County) by members of the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Special Agents. The Anthony Police Department assisted in the multi-agency fugitive investigation. In 2005, Gaeta was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to two years of confinement in a TDCJ prison. In 2009, he was convicted of selling, distributing or dispensing narcotics and subsequently sentenced to 51 months of imprisonment in a federal facility, followed by three years of supervised release. Gaeta had been wanted since November 2022, when the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
In addition, among the current Texas Top 10 Most Wanted sex offenders is Vegas Jarrod Brown, a convicted sex offender required to register every three months who has ties to Amarillo. In 2018, Brown was convicted of two counts of Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact following an incident involving a 14-year-old girl. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 years’ probation. He also has a criminal history in Florida consisting of arrests for Lewd or Lascivious Behavior with a Child. Since Sept. 24, 2021, the Potter County Sheriff’s Office has issued warrants for Brown's arrest for Probation Violation (Original Offense: two counts of Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact), Sex Offender’s Duty to Register, and Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registration Requirements, the DPS website states.
Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, 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 22 of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders. In addition, $76,000 in rewards has been paid for tips that yielded arrests.
To be eligible for cash rewards, DPS says 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, 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.
The public is warned against any attempts to apprehend these fugitives, as they are considered armed and dangerous.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Authorities arrest 3 fugitives including former Pampa resident
