SINCE DAY ONE, PROTECTING TEXAS children has been a top priority at the Office of the Attorney General. Early in this administration, we uncovered a troubling statistic. In 2003, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice reported that nearly 200 convicted sex offenders had gone missing and were wanted by authorities for failing to report to their parole officers.

Recognizing that a statewide law enforcement response was necessary to address this issue, we launched the Fugitive Unit, a specialized team of state peace officers whose primary mission is to locate and arrest unregistered sex offenders and parole violators.

Recently, the Fugitive Unit worked closely with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office and the San Antonio Police Department to locate and arrest 10 unregistered sex offenders. On April 19, Fugitive Unit officers arrested Jesse Farias Perez, 46, in San Antonio for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements. Perez also had an outstanding warrant for failing to pay child support. In 1996, perez was sentenced to two years in prison for indecency with a child by contact. His victim was an 11-year-old female.

In the same operation, the Fugitive Unit also located and arrested three previous convicted sex predators who violated their parole conditions.

Amont the parole violators, investigators arrested Victor Segundo, 52, in San Antonio for possessing videos of violent sexual acts in violation of his parole. In 1981 and 1982, Segundo was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of sexual abuse of a child and aggravated kidnapping. His victims were a 15-year-old female and 16-year-old female. Last months' arrests were not the Fugitive Unit's first encounter with Segundo. We also arrested him in 2008 for a separate parole violation.

Since the Fugitive Unit's launch in August 2003, our dedicated officers have made affests in more than 60 Texas countries, multiple other states and three cities in Mexico. The arrests include unregistered sex offenders; child sex offenders who violated parole restrictions; violent Louisiana fugitives who fled to Texas during Hurricane Katrina; and Texas parolees who fled during the Hurricane Rita evacuation. The Fugitive Unit has also helped track down sex offenders and other violent offenders in coordination with the U.S. Dept. of Justice's Operation Falcon II, a nationwide roundup of convicted felons-turned-fugitives.

Altogether, the Fugitive Unit is responsible for more than 1,000 arrests since 2003 - and we are committed to continue our pursuit of convicted sexual predators who are violating their parole or failing to maintain their court-ordered sex offender registration. By cracking down sexual predators who deliberately evade authorities' supervision, the Fugitive Unit works to prevent proven criminals from striking a second time and harming another innocent victim. All Texans can count on the Office of the Attorney General to stay focused and continue protecting Texas children.

-June 2010