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Texas DPS continues to find missing children, arrest ‘most wanted’ criminals | Texas

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-26 12:39:00

(The Center Square) – Texas Department of Public Safety officers continue to find missing children and arrest those on its criminal illegal immigrant most wanted list.

With April being “Child Abuse Prevention Month,” DPS troopers have rescued more than 600 children through its Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) Program, DPS said. IPC officers are trained “to identify victims of exploitation, missing children, crimes against children and high-risk threats against children,” DPS said.

Through Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star, DPS troopers rescued more than 900 children illegally brought into the U.S. in Texas alone under the Biden administration, The Center Square reported.

So far this year, DPS and other agencies have arrested 21 Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitives, sex offenders and others, including six sex offenders and seven criminal illegal immigrants – with $25,000 in rewards being paid for tips that yielded arrests, DPS said.

One recent arrest was of a fugitive on Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List, 46-year-old Mexican national Carlos Ortiz. He was arrested after DPS received a tip through Crime Stoppers.

Ortiz was wanted by authorities in Tarrant County since October 2024 on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a young child. He was arrested at an apartment complex in Haltom City by multiple authorities, including special agents from DPS’ Criminal Investigations Division, Haltom City Police and U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force.

Since 2008, Ortiz had been arrested in Tarrant County for assault causing bodily injury to a family member and driving while intoxicated, according to DPS records.

Another fugitive arrested on Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List was 25-year-old Honduran national Anderson Ronaldo Reyes Giron. He was arrested in north central Austin and wanted by authorities in Travis County since February for deadly conduct (discharging a firearm) and in Williamson County since March on property theft charges.

He was first arrested under the Trump administration in January 2017 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection “for alien removal.” By August 2024, he was arrested by the Austin Police Department officers for deadly conduct (discharging a firearm) and subsequently bonded out of jail, according to DPS records.

Through the governor’s Public Safety Office, taxpayer money is allocated to Texas Crime Stoppers to offer cash rewards to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders or Criminal Illegal Immigrants. To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477), submitting a tip through DPS website or Facebook page.

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

As offenders are arrested and come off of the lists, others are added.

Two recent additions include U.S. citizens, Rondarrius Evans, 21, of New Boston, to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List and Rodolfo Martinez Jr., 42, to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List.

Evans is wanted by authorities in Bowie County since last August on two capital murder charges and drug charges. Martinez Jr. is wanted in Harris County since last November for indecency with a child by sexual contact.

Texas Crime Stoppers is offering cash rewards for tips that lead to their arrests.

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News from the South - Texas News Feed

MAP: Which school districts increased teacher pay for the 2025-26 school year?

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www.kxan.com – Christopher Adams – 2025-06-30 13:05:00

SUMMARY: For the 2025-26 school year, Central Texas school districts are setting starting teacher salaries amid budget planning. Of 58 districts, 19 have released salary data. Del Valle ISD offers the highest starting salary at $60,000, followed by Manor ISD at $57,669. Several others offer over $50,000, while a few remain below $50,000, with Mason ISD at $40,000. The state minimum salary increased by $300 to $33,960. Eleven districts raised starting pay, led by Llano ISD’s 8.5% increase. House Bill 2 allocates $4.2 billion for teacher raises, but retention funds apply only after three years, leaving starting salaries unchanged unless districts decide otherwise.

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The payment trick that’s costing used car buyers and sellers thousands

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www.youtube.com – KHOU 11 – 2025-06-30 07:57:19

SUMMARY: As used car sales peak in July, scams targeting buyers and sellers are on the rise. John Mattery reports that counterfeit checks are a common trick, with scammers sending fake checks for more than the asking price and asking sellers to return part to a shipping company. Seller Matt Neff experienced this with his 1948 Packard. Buyers, like Dejan Wallace, can also be targeted on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, where sellers may rush sales and propose suspicious payments. To avoid losing money, never cash checks and send funds back or wire money to strangers, and always insist on in-person meetings and test drives.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling a used car this summer, consumer experts say now is the time to be extra cautious.

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Gunman started Idaho blaze and then fatally shot 2 firefighters in ambush attack, officials say

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www.kxan.com – REBECCA BOONE and CHRISTOPHER WEBER, Associated Press – 2025-06-30 01:20:00

SUMMARY: A man armed with a rifle intentionally started a wildfire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and ambushed firefighters responding to the blaze, killing two and wounding a third. The suspect’s body was found in a wooded area with a firearm nearby after a tactical response. Officials believe the shooter acted alone, using a high-powered rifle from rugged terrain. The injured firefighter is in stable condition after surgery. Authorities urged residents to avoid the area as the fire continued burning. The FBI and local law enforcement responded. The attack shocked the community and officials, who expressed condolences and called for prayers.

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