ZAPOPAN, MEXICO – After being on the run for nearly four years, authorities arrested one of the fugitives from the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted list. The man was wanted for two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child along with bail jumping, and failure to appear.
The individual was said to have been located in Zapopan, Jalisco. A tip came in after a TV show aired the details of the case.
Manhunt for most wanted fugitive ended Friday with the arrest in Mexico of Jeffrey Winston Forrest, 47, wanted for two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, bail jumping, and failure to appear…#PEDOGATE #PIZZAGATE #JUSTICEISCOMING #WWG1WGA #SAVETHECHILDERN https://t.co/BwkAcS0P5i pic.twitter.com/ymyxCbDYBh
— Don Traub (@DonT2go) May 10, 2020
Jeffrey Winston Forrest was deported on May 9th from Mexico and brought back to Texas to face the charges that he initially skipped out on years back.
The 47-year-old was arrested back on April 2nd of 2015 after four victims had brought allegations of sexual assault against him.
During the 2015 investigation, authorities believed that Forrest used his position as a youth minister to gain access to his alleged victims. After Forrest was arrested, he made bail, and his trial was scheduled to begin on August 29th, 2016.
However, Forrest never showed up for his court date.
At the time of his disappearance, investigators had reason to believe that he might have made his way into Mexico. Yet, after so much time had passed since his initial disappearance, his trail had become cold.
Officials had reason to believe Forrest was utilizing the likes of Tor to mask his digital footprint, which is a multi-hop VPN protocol that encrypts web traffic data from analysis.
“The manhunt for a U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted fugitive ended Friday with the arrest in Mexico of Jeffrey Winston Forrest, 47, wanted by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Department in Abilene, Texas, for two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, bail jumping…” https://t.co/hL37Eer8FU
— overit (@Stephaniefishm4) May 10, 2020
What made the big break in the case was an episode of “In Pursuit with John Walsh” on Investigation Discovery that featured the case involving Forrest. The episode had originally premiered on January 15 of 2020, and one local in Zapopan had captured video of Forrest inside of a Walmart weeks before his arrest.
An anonymous source had recognized Forrest, and began taking photos and video of him inside of the store. They’d even gone so far as to take photos of an identifying Star Wars tattoo on Forrest’s ankle. The photos and video were eventually sent over to the U.S. Marshals.
Fugitive child rapist Jeffrey Forrest captured in Mexico. https://t.co/GZyVSajqxY
— The Tornado News (@TheTornadoNews) May 10, 2020
According to the press release by the U.S. Marshals’ office, they attributed the capture of Forrest to the tip generated from the airing of the Investigation Discovery show:
“Forrest’s capture in Mexico is a direct result of information that was developed from a tip that was provided to “In Pursuit with John Walsh” on Investigation Discovery after the show profiled the case.”
According to the Zapopan Police press release, authorities had found Forrest on May 8th at a drive-thru store within Zapopan, Jalisco.
Jeffrey Winston Forrest, 47, was arrested Friday afternoon in Zapopa, which is located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. https://t.co/paNl0YsEEo
— KLBK News (@KLBKNews) May 9, 2020
Members from the State Attorney’s Office, Zapopan Police Department, and the National Institute of Immigration took him into custody and he has since been booked into the Taylor County Jail in Texas.
While Forrest’s bond was set at $3 million, due to the federal hold in concurrence to his original charges he wouldn’t be eligible for release even if he were to come up with the bail money.
Earlier this year, we brought to you a story about the FBI’s latest website dedicated to listing wanted child predators. In case you missed it, here’s the original report.
The FBI recently dedicated an online resource regarding their twenty-two most wanted accused sexual predators and exploitative persons who target our most vulnerable: children.
The FBI has designated a page among their wanted fugitives list called the “Crimes Against Children” page. The creation of the dedicated page is an effort to help shine a much-needed light to those who have allegedly harmed children and are still on the run.
Anthony K. Dewater was a teacher’s aide at an elementary school in Salem, Oregon. On February 21st, 1992, Dewater was charged with nine counts of sexual abuse in the first degree for fondling multiple students over a six-month period.
He was subsequently found guilty of seven of the nine charges later in 1992, but failed to appear for his sentencing. He’s been on the run since and authorities believe he may have traveled to Seattle, Washington, California, British Columbia, Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, or Peru.
Frantz Dieudonne was arrested on June 1st, 2002 for allegedly engaging in sex with a fifteen-year old minor from November, 2001 to May of 2002. Dieudonne made bail one week after his arrest and failed to appear for his September, 2003 pre-trial motion. Authorities state that he has ties to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Utah.
Juan Quezada was arrested in August of 2007 for his involvement in the sexual abuse of a six-year old girl in Chicago, Illinois in June of 2007. When Quezada made bond, he seemingly vanished. Authorities also believe he’s connected to another sexual assault of a minor after he bonded out of jail.
Jose Barroso had a warrant issued for his arrest back in November of 2004 regarding the rape of a girl from when she was five up until she was eleven years old. Police never apprehended him and he’s believed to be in the Guadalajara, Mexico area.
Erik Moller was convicted on December 18th, 2002 for two counts of lewd act upon a child, but was released on bail until his sentencing slated for March 18th, 2003.
Since then, authorities believe he may have traveled to Miami, Florida to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, in 2003 and that he may have ties in Denmark.
Elby Hars is currently wanted for multiple charges of criminal sexual conduct with a minor that occurred in Richland County, South Carolina, in 2000. Authorities believe that he may have shaved his head and that he’s in either Texas or Mexico.
Roger Parham was arrested on November 21st, 1998 for rape involving a minor. Parham was released on bond with conditions, but had failed to appear for his next scheduled hearing.
Authorities describe Parham as being very charming, with an interest in photography and refurbishing antiques. He’s believed to either be in Arkansas or Mexico.
Bruce Emerson Sawhill is currently wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting a young female child on more than one occasion, in Jefferson County, Missouri some time in 2001.
Authorities believe he may have traveled to the Pacific Northwest area, to include Oregon or Washington around 2004 or 2005. There’s currently a $25,000 reward for information about his current whereabouts.
Rex C. Reichert is currently wanted for the alleged sexual abuse of two juvenile males, ages fourteen and ten, over a two-year period at his apartment in Collegeville, Pennsylvania in the late 1980s. An arrest warrant drafted in September of 1990. Authorities believe he could be in Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Canada, or Europe.
Rene Ramirez is wanted for the alleged trafficking of child pornography online between June of 2007 through December of 2009. Authorities say that he has ties to The Bronx, New York and Mexico.
Gerardo Cruz-Hernandez is currently wanted for the continuous sexual assault of a female minor from 2011 to 2014 while she was between the ages of twelve and fifteen. An arrest warrant was drafted out of Norristown, Pennsylvania, on January 17th, 2014. Authorities believe that he may have fled to Mexico.
Gerardo Beltran is wanted for alleged lewd and lascivious conduct with four female victims under the age of fourteen in 1991. He was a Catholic priest at the time in Sacramento, California.
He reportedly used his position to gain access to his victims. After an arrest warrant was issued in 1992, Beltran fled and authorities believe he might be in Mexico.
Jeffrey Dean McDaniel had abducted a thirteen-year old girl who was a relative of his out of Placer County, California and fled the area in September of 1998. The girl was located in Mexico in September of 2000.
The victim stated that McDaniel had traveled with her throughout California and Nevada before ending up in Mexico. During that two-year period, McDaniel repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl, resulting in a pregnancy. Authorities believe he may still be in Mexico.
Jerold C. Dunning is wanted for his alleged involvement in lewd activities with a child under the age of sixteen, in St. Petersburg, Florida from 1996 to 1998. Police arrested Dunning on October 14th, 1998, but Dunning bonded out and never appeared for any scheduled hearings in court. Authorities stated that Dunning has ties to both Florida and Tennessee, but could have also fled to Brazil.
Gustavo Cruz is wanted for the alleged molestation of an eleven-year old girl in Indianapolis, Indiana from January 1st, 2016 to March 29th, 2017 where he had allegedly recorded the acts on his cell phone. Authorities believe Cruz may be somewhere in the Midwest of the United States.
Jose Ruben Salinas-Rangal is currently wanted for the alleged rape of a twelve-year old girl in Gallatin, Tennessee, in 2014. Police issued a warrant for his arrest in September of 2014 for two counts of rape of a child. His last known residence was listed in Gallatin, Tennessee, but he may have fled to Mexico.
Gregory Whitehead is wanted for various charges revolving around soliciting a child for prostitution. In October of 2007, he lured two young girls into his home under the facade of performing cleaning services. Police say that he instead served the girls alcohol, took nude and graphic photos of them, and paid them for their sexual favors.
Whitehead was arrested, but bonded out of jail and failed to appear for his scheduled hearing in January of 2008. His last known address was his home in Denver, Colorado.
Luis Tejada is wanted for allegedly possessing and distributing child pornography online and was indicted in Greenbelt, Maryland on October 29th, 2010. Authorities say that he speaks fluent Spanish and that he has ties to both New York and El Salvador.
Gerard Boguslaw Zalewski is wanted for failing to appear to his sentencing hearing after he plead guilty on November 14th, 2004 to one count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a thirteen-year old female victim in June of 2004. He was sentenced to five to twenty years in absentia and authorities state he has ties to Poland as well as New Jersey and Arizona.
Kent Douglas Eaton is wanted for allegedly creating child pornography during the period of June of 1985, to September of 1985, while also allegedly molesting multiple children in Santa Cruz County, California. Eaton was arrested and on September 17th, 1987 and was released on bond. He plead guilty to several charges related to his3 crimes, but never reported to his sentencing. Authorities believe that Eaton is abroad and has been maintaining websites registered in the Netherlands.
William Willingham is wanted for tying up his girlfriend and then proceeding to rape her daughter on December 22nd, 1998. He fled the residence after repeatedly raping the young girl and authorities believe he may have traveled to Arkansas or Alabama. There’s currently a $5,000 reward for information that leads to his whereabouts and arrest.
Curtis Lee Brovold was arrested on July 11th, 2000 after allegedly having communicated online with a forteen-year old girl and then meeting her in Moorhead, Minnesota in July of 2000 to have sex. Brovold was released on bond and never appeared to his court hearing scheduled for September 18th, 2000. Authorities believe that he may have traveled to Bital and Tepey, Mexico. It’s also noted that he has ties to Granite Falls and Wood Lake, Minnesota, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Martinez, Georgia.
Anyone that has information on the whereabouts of these fugitives are urged to contact their local FBI office.
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