Three individuals listed among Texas’s 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders are now back in custody after authorities carried out separate arrests across the state this month. Law enforcement agencies coordinated efforts in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Erath County to locate and detain the fugitives, highlighting ongoing efforts to enforce sex offender registration laws and apprehend individuals with outstanding warrants.
State officials also confirmed that Texas Crime Stoppers will issue a reward for one of the arrests after investigators used tip information to locate a suspect.
Authorities Arrest Three Wanted Sex Offenders
Law enforcement officials arrested Andrew Anthony Lopez, Albert Merell Jr., and Kerry Jay Armstrong in separate operations involving multiple agencies. Investigators relied on intelligence gathering, fugitive task forces, and community information to track down the individuals.
The arrests demonstrate continued collaboration among local, state, and federal authorities focused on apprehending fugitives and monitoring compliance with sex offender registration requirements.
San Antonio Arrest Ends Search for Andrew Lopez
Andrew Anthony Lopez, 36, was taken into custody in San Antonio on May 6. Authorities identified Lopez as a documented Tango Orejon gang member and had sought him since February 2026.
Investigators from the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force coordinated with several agencies, including special agents from the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice Office of Inspector General, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Officials located Lopez at an apartment complex and arrested him without incident.
Authorities sought Lopez after Bexar County issued a warrant alleging that he failed to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
In 2007, authorities convicted him of burglary. Later, in 2013, a Bexar County court convicted him of aggravated sexual assault of a child involving a 7-year-old victim. Later, in 2013, he received a conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child involving a 7-year-old victim in Bexar County. He received a 10-year prison sentence through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Corpus Christi Fugitive Captured Following Tip Information
Albert Merell Jr., 48, was arrested on May 11 in Corpus Christi after investigators followed up on tips.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force worked alongside DPS Special Agents and investigators from the Texas Board of Criminal Justice Office of Inspector General to locate him.
Authorities found Merell Jr. walking in downtown Corpus Christi before taking him into custody.
Officials had been searching for Merell Jr. since August 2025 after Tarrant County issued a warrant alleging failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
Prior Convictions Highlight Serious Criminal History
Records indicate that Merell Jr. previously received convictions in 2001 involving several serious offenses, including aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and burglary.
The court sentenced him to 15 years in prison, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice later released him in 2015.
Years later, in 2022, he again faced legal consequences for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements and received probation.
Authorities also confirmed that Texas Crime Stoppers will pay a reward because the information provided helped lead to his arrest.
Kerry Armstrong Arrested in Erath County
Authorities made the third arrest when they took 57-year-old Kerry Jay Armstrong into custody in Thurber, a community in Erath County.
Investigators assigned to the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force worked alongside DPS Special Agents, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice Office of Inspector General, and the Erath County Sheriff’s Office during the operation.
Authorities had sought Armstrong since October 2025 after Kinney County issued warrants alleging failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements and bail jumping or failure to appear.
Historical court records show Armstrong had multiple previous convictions. In 1992, he received a prison sentence related to a marijuana delivery conviction. Later, in 1997, he was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child involving victims aged 12 and 14.
He received a 15-year prison sentence and later faced additional penalties in 2019 for violating sex offender registration requirements.
Texas Crime Stoppers Continues Fugitive Efforts
Texas Crime Stoppers continues to encourage public participation by offering rewards for information that leads to arrests of individuals listed in Texas’s Most Wanted categories.
The program, funded by the Governor’s Public Safety Office, provides financial incentives for information resulting in arrests involving fugitives, sex offenders, and illegal immigrants.
So far in 2026, DPS and partnering agencies have arrested 33 individuals from Texas’s most wanted lists, including 26 sex offenders and four gang members. Officials also reported more than $50,000 in rewards paid for tips that led to successful arrests.
The recent arrests reinforce the role of coordinated investigations and public assistance in locating individuals wanted by authorities across Texas.