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AUSTIN, Texas – Three fugitives who were on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list were arrested in three separate operations throughout the state.

The arrests involve local agencies from Hidalgo, Plano and Houston, as well as state and federal law enforcement agencies, according to DPS officials. 

3 Texas Most Wanted Sex Offenders Captured

Local perspective:

53-year-old Leroy Lewis Jr. was arrested June 22 at a residence in south Houston. 

Leroy Lewis Jr. (Texas DPS)

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DPS special agents assigned to the Texas Anti-Gang Center worked with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Houston Police Department and the Texas attorney general’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit to locate and arrest him.

Lewis had been wanted since March on a Harris County warrant charging him with failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.

According to DPS, Lewis was convicted in the 1990s of murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping. Authorities said the kidnapping involved a 20-year-old woman whom Lewis intended to sexually abuse. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison, paroled in 2012 and required to register as a sex offender.

Tip leads to capture of Plano fugitive

Dig deeper:

64-year-old Kenneth Wayne Patterson was arrested on June 24 at a Plano apartment complex after investigators followed up on a tip. 

Kenneth Wayne Patterson (Texas DPS)

DPS special agents, Plano police officers and members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force made the arrest. Patterson had been wanted since December 2025 on a Dallas County warrant alleging failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.

Patterson was convicted in Dallas County in 1989 of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl and sentenced to eight years in prison, according to DPS. Authorities said he has a history of failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.

Hidalgo border arrest

What’s next:

32-year-old Eduardo Quinones Fuentes was arrested on June 22 at the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge, after U.S. authorities took him into custody upon his return from Mexico. 

Eduardo Quinones Fuentes (Texas DPS)

DPS identified Fuentes as a documented Tango Valluco gang member who had absconded to Mexico. Fuentes had been wanted since October 2025 on parole violation and obstruction warrants. A Hidalgo County warrant charging him with failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements was issued in November 2025.

Since 2016, Fuentes has been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, sexual assault, assault, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and human smuggling, according to DPS.

Rewards and 2026 Arrest Stats

What they’re saying:

DPS said 44 fugitives on its 10 Most Wanted lists have been arrested so far this year, including 32 sex offenders and eight documented gang members. The agency said $61,500 in Crime Stoppers rewards has been paid in connection with those arrests.

Texas Crime Stoppers offers rewards for information leading to the arrest of fugitives on the state’s 10 Most Wanted lists.

Jameson Williams has an opportunity to have the best year of his young NFL career during the upcoming NFL season, according to the Detroit Lions’ wide receiver coach Scottie Montgomery. Williams is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

The former Alabama wideout is now looking to become a premier receiving threat in 2026, and Montgomery can see the step to becoming elite happening for Williams.

“We’ve worked very hard this preseason, even talking on the phone about the details needed to go from being a good player to being truly elite in our sport,” Montgomery said, according to MLive’s Kory Woods. “And then, from a mental standpoint, the way we work, not just at the beginning of a drill, but also at the end. Everything we do, his details, his vision, his catch points, his control points, everything we’re doing now, we did it in March and April, and it showed. We’re very excited about his current level. Without a doubt, this has been his best preseason, his best opportunity to grow as a player since we’ve been here for several reasons, but he’s done a good job.”

Williams is set to enter his fifth season in the NFL with the Lions.

The Lions have benefitted from back-to-back impressive seasons for Williams. He finished last season with 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns on 65 receptions.

Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.

FORT SMITH — A Northwest Arkansas health system aims to expand into the River Valley with a proposed acquisition of several Baptist Health primary care clinics.

Springdale-based Community Clinic announced in a Tuesday news release it has signed a letter of intent to acquire multiple Baptist Health Family Clinics. The locations that it is seeking to acquire are in Alma, Greenwood, Fort Smith and Van Buren.

“For 35 years, Community Clinic has provided comprehensive primary care to Northwest Arkansas through a whole-person care model that integrates behavioral health, dental, pharmacy and specialty services,” the release states. “Today, the nonprofit serves more than 75,000 patients across more than 30 locations in Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma.”

“For us, this is about more than expanding our footprint. We believe every community deserves access to great primary care,” Judd Semingson, president and chief executive officer of Community Clinic, said in the release. “You don’t become part of a community by putting your name on a building. You become part of a community by listening first, showing up consistently and earning trust over time. That’s the commitment we’re making to the River Valley.”

“This proposed acquisition represents an important opportunity to build on the strong foundation of care our patients and providers have established throughout the River Valley,” Brandi Stewart, interim president/chief nursing officer for Baptist Health Western Region, said in the release.

“Community Clinic’s commitment to whole-person care and its deep connection to the communities it serves make it a natural fit to carry that legacy forward. Together, we are working toward a seamless transition that ensures patients continue to receive the trusted, compassionate primary care they know close to home while advancing our shared commitment to improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” she said.

Community Clinic plans to meet with clinic providers to “discuss opportunities” and recognizes that providers have build “trusted relationships” with patients, according to the release. Community Clinic is committed to “maintaining continuity of care throughout the transition” as it expands access to care for patients in the River Valley, the release states.

It’s far from a done deal, though.

Any final agreement between Community Clinic and Baptist Health will be subject to a regulatory review, approval by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, and execution of a definitive agreement.

In recent months, Baptist Health-Fort Smith has made multiple announcements regarding closures of major services and the layoff of employees.

Baptist Health on March 30 confirmed it would be ending labor and delivery services in Fort Smith effective April 28, citing a drop in births at the Fort Smith hospital.

Baptist Health-Fort Smith announced April 29 its plans for the closure of several departments and clinics in Fort Smith. The April 29 release said the closures would take place over the following 60 days and the changes would result in about 150 employees being laid off, including 10 physicians.

On June 2, Baptist announced the elimination of 70 additional jobs.

State Rep. Jay Richardson said June 23 he would be happy to work with the Fort Smith Board of Directors regarding a letter to the Arkansas General Assembly. The letter would ask that legislation be passed to require Arkansas hospitals to provide 180 days prior written notice before ending major services.

Ashley Torres can be reached by email at [email protected].