Denver news viewer spots fleeing convicted child sex offender in New Mexico, leading to arrest, officials say
A Colorado man who skipped the final day of his trial for sexual assault on a child was arrested in southern New Mexico after allegedly cutting off his ankle monitor, prosecutors say.
Jorge Campos, 42, was supposed to be in court in Douglas County on Friday for a trial related to the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl. Instead, officials say he cut off his ankle monitor, which was then found in a dumpster near his Castle Rock home. Police say he had been on the run since Friday.
He was arrested in Chaparral, New Mexico, on Sunday, after someone saw news out of Denver that Campos was on the run and spotted him on a bus headed to Mexico, according to a spokesman for Colorado's 23rd Judicial District Attorney's Office.
"The viewer called 9-1-1, and Otero County deputies arrested him at an Allsup's gas station near the border," Tom Mustin, of the District Attorney's Office in Douglas County, said.
Chaparral, New Mexico, is about 620 miles south of Denver and about 25 miles north of El Paso, Texas, which borders Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. In a press conference on Monday, officials shared just how close he had come to crossing the border.
"He's about 25 minutes from the border, and this good Samaritan tip results in all the good guys convening on this gas station with a bus filled with people going to Mexico, including this guy, and they grab him up," said 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler.
Officials also released a photo of Campos allegedly leaving a hotel in New Mexico, although the exact time and place where the photo was taken weren't immediately clear.
Campos faced five charges of "sexual assault of a child – pattern of abuse" related to the 2024 sexual assault. The victim in the case testified at the four-day trial.
"She was violated, villainized, and voiceless and faced unimaginable trauma with remarkable strength," Deputy District Attorney Brynn Chase said of the victim.
Campos was convicted by a Douglas County jury on all five counts.
He will be extradited to Colorado, where he'll face new charges related to the alleged removal of his ankle monitor and flight from justice, but the details of those charges aren't yet clear.
