Reward Offered For Most Wanted Sex Offender from Corpus Christi

Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.

AUSTIN –The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has added Erasmo Zapata, 45, to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list, and a cash reward of up to $5,000 is now being offered for information leading to his capture.

Zapata is wanted for parole violation. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous.

Zapata has been wanted since January 2017. He has ties to Nueces and San Patricio counties, including the cities of Corpus Christi and Mathis.

In 2006, Zapata was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of indecency with a child/sexual contact after an incident in San Patricio County involving a 12-year-old girl.

He subsequently received a 15-year prison sentence. His criminal history also includes assault and burglary of a vehicle. For more information or updates in the event of his arrest, see his wanted bulletin at http://www.dps.texas.gov/Texas10MostWanted/SexOffenderDetails.aspx?id=370.

Zapata is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 190 pounds. He has tattoos on his arms, shoulders, neck, left hand and chest. Zapata was recently employed in the construction industry, and may also be known by the nickname “Eddie.”

Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of the Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitives or sex offenders. So far in 2017, Texas Crime Stoppers has paid $40,500 in total rewards for anonymous tips that resulted in arrests.

To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the five following methods:

• Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
• Text the letters “DPS” – followed by your tip – to 274637 (CRIMES) from your cell phone.
• Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about, and then clicking on the link under their picture.
• Submit a Facebook tip at http://www.facebook.com/texas10mostwanted by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).
• Submit a tip through the DPS Mobile App. The app is currently available for iPhone users on the Apple App Store: (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/texas-dps/id902092368?mt=8) and for Android users on Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microassist.texasdps&hl=en).

All tips are anonymous – regardless of how they are submitted, and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.

DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Sex Offender lists. You can find the current lists – with photos – on the DPS website at: http://www.dps.texas.gov/texas10mostwanted/.

Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.