Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender from South Texas captured

Staff Reports

AUSTIN – Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender John Anthony Rangel is back in custody following his arrest on Oct. 22. He was arrested in Harlingen by Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Special Agents, who coordinated with Texas Highway Patrol to conduct a traffic stop after Rangel was seen leaving a house. Rangel is from the Harlingen area. His arrest was not the result of a tip, so no reward will be paid.

Rangel, 31, was added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List on Sept. 30. He’s been wanted since May 2019, when the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a warrant for his arrest for a parole violation. In October 2020, the DPS Criminal Investigation Division in Brownsville issued a warrant for failure to register as a sex offender. In August 2021, the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office also issued a warrant on the same charge.

In 2013, Rangel was convicted of two counts of burglary of a building and was sentenced to nine months in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison. In 2017, he was convicted of three counts of indecency with a child by exposure for an incident involving a 15-year-old girl. He was sentenced to five years in a TDCJ prison and was released on parole in September 2018. For more information, view his wanted bulletin.

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 Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives or Sex Offenders. So far this year, DPS and other agencies have arrested 24 Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders, including nine gang members and 12 sex offenders. In addition, $54,000 in rewards has been paid for tips that yielded arrests.

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

• Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
• Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about then clicking on the link under their picture.
• Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).

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 Fugitives and Sex Offenders Lists. You can find the current lists — with photos — on the DPS website.

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