"Most wanted" fugitive Texas sex offender captured
AUSTIN, Texas -- A fugitive on the Texas "10 Most Wanted" sex offender list is now in custody after being captured May 9 in Austin, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced Wednesday.
Officials had offered a $5,000 reward for the arrest of 24-year-old Jefferey Phillip Paige after he allegedly failed to register as a sex offender and violated his probation in a child sex assault case. He had been gone from his residence in Granbury, near Fort Worth, since late last month.
A tip helped authorities locate Paige at an apartment complex in Austin, where he was taken into custody by the Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division and the Austin Police Department. The $5,000 reward has been paid out, according to the department.
According to DPS, Paige was convicted in 2012 on two counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child. The female victims ranged in age from 13 to 16, DPS said.
Paige was sentenced to 10 years' probation and was required to register quarterly as a sex offender, according to the department.