Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive Heriberto Cardenas & Most Wanted Sex Offender Ralph Ballard Captured
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) — Two of Texas' Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives are back in custody after being captured in early July.
Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive Heriberto Cardenas was arrested on July 7, in Laredo, and Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender Ralph Deandre Ballard was arrested on July 8, in College Station.
Cardenas, 22, is affiliated with the El Cuatro gang. He was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force, including Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Special Agents.
Cardenas was added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive list on June 15, 2021. He'd been wanted by authorities since 2020, after he violated parole and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Cardenas was also wanted by the Laredo police for evading arrest/detention, and by the Webb County Sheriff's Office for a probation violation.
Ballard, 27, was added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender list on June 30, 2021. He was arrested following a traffic stop conducted by DPS Special Agents and Brazos County Sheriff's deputies.
Ballard had been wanted by law enforcement since 2020, after he absconded from his last known address in Springtown. He had an active arrest warrant for a parole violation. Additional warrants, including failure to register as a sex offender, unlawful possession of a firearm, theft of property and larceny were also issued. He was initially convicted in Robertson County in 2014 of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
So far this year, DPS or other agencies have arrested nine Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders, including four gang members and four sex offenders.
