AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has announced the arrest of Kenneth O’Brien Hiner, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender, in Hays County.
Hiner, a 31-year-old from Nueces County, was apprehended at a residence in Kyle on Friday, March 27, by DPS Criminal Investigations Division Special Agents and Texas Highway Patrol Troopers, according to a press release from the department. Hiner was previously arrested in 2013 by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for sexual assault and abusive sexual contact, resulting in a nine-month sentence in a military detention facility and a bad conduct discharge. Since 2015, he has been arrested three times for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements and had been wanted since January 2026 for similar charges.
The Texas Crime Stoppers program, funded by the Governor’s Public Safety Office, offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders, or Criminal Illegal Immigrants. However, no reward will be paid for Hiner’s arrest. In 2026, DPS and other agencies have arrested 17 individuals from the list, including 12 sex offenders and 3 gang members, with $34,500 in rewards paid for tips leading to arrests.
To be eligible for cash rewards, tips must be submitted through one of three methods: calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477), submitting a web tip via the DPS website, or submitting a Facebook tip. All tips remain anonymous, and tipsters receive a tip number instead of using their name.
DPS collaborates with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted lists. Current lists and photos can be found on the DPS website.