Fugitive captured in sex assault case
Authorities caught a San Marcos man Thursday morning who last week fled during the middle of his jury trial for sexually assaulting a teenage girl. A Caldwell County jury found Pedro Javier Quintero, 22, guilty of five counts of aggravated sexual assault, sentencing him to 48 years in prison, officials said.
In 2009, Quintero and four others, then ages 17 and 18, were accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old San Marcos girl at a party in Caldwell County that April, said Katy Alsobrook, an assistant district attorney for the county.
Hector Gomez, a supervisory deputy with the U.S. Marshals, said Thursday that members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force surprised Quintero at an apartment in San Antonio. A member of the public provided the tip about his location, Gomez said.
Quintero was expected to be taken from San Antonio to Caldwell County later Thursday or Friday.
He was out on bond of $7,500 when his trial started but did not return after court dismissed for lunch on Dec. 5.
The trial continued without him.
Law enforcement agencies joined forces Thursday to announce efforts to fight drunken driving over the holiday season.
Austin police were joined by officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Travis County Attorney’s office,