Jesse Rodriguez, 82, sits in the back of a patrol vehicle following his arrest on Sept. 4, 2026, in Bexar County, Texas. (Bexar County Constable's Office)
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - A 20-year fugitive wanted in Maricopa County on felony child sex crime charges has been captured in Texas after a sharp-eyed deputy turned a routine traffic stop into a dogged investigation.
What we know:
Jesse Rodriguez, 82, was arrested outside his Texas home on Friday by Bexar County deputy constables after law enforcement confirmed he was hiding behind an assumed identity to evade Arizona law enforcement for nearly two decades. He is currently being held in a San Antonio jail awaiting extradition back to the Valley to face felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor and child molestation.
The backstory:
The arrest stems from an Aug. 12 traffic stop in Bexar County, when Deputy Constable Nathan Carrizales pulled Rodriguez over for a minor driving violation. A computer alert flagged the 82-year-old driver as a potential match for the outstanding Maricopa County warrant. However, discrepancies between the driver's license and Social Security number provided by Rodriguez, paired with unconfirmed details from Arizona authorities at the time, forced the deputy to release him with a written warning. During questioning, the suspect admitted he had lived in an Arizona trailer park during the time of the alleged offenses, but denied any criminal involvement.
READ MORE: Arizona man nabbed in South Dakota after abducting missing Wyoming teen he groomed online: Cops
Refusing to let the lead go cold, Deputy Carrizales continued digging into the case and pressed Maricopa County officials for additional identifying details. On Sept. 3, Arizona investigators provided crucial updated records, including a key alias used by the suspect. Armed with the new alias, Deputy Carrizales officially confirmed that the driver he had stopped weeks earlier was indeed the wanted fugitive.
The arrest:
Deputies swarmed Rodriguez’s residence the following day, taking him into custody while he was outside doing yard work. Upon his arrest, the octogenarian allegedly admitted he knew about the outstanding Arizona warrant, revealed his true name was Jesse Rodriguez and confessed to living on the run for nearly 20 years.
This is a developing story.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Bexar County Constable's Office Precinct 2.