WACO, Texas (KWTX) – Three men on Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list were arrested earlier this month in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Erath County according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Andrew Anthony Lopez, 36 was arrested May 6 at an apartment in San Antonio by a multiagency task force led by U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.
According to Texas DPS, Lopez is a documented Tango Orejon gang member and had been wanted since February 2026 for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
In 2007 Lopez was arrested and convicted for burglary. He was also convicted in 2013 for aggravated sexual assault of a child following an incident with a 7-year-old girl.
Lopez was previously sentenced to 10 years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice Prison.
Albert Merell Jr., 48, was arrested by U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force and other agencies on May 11 in downtown Corpus Christi after a tip led authorities to him walking on a street, per a Texas DPS news release.
Merell had been wanted since August 2025 for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
He was previously convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2001 for aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and burglary.
Kerry Jay Armstrong, 57, was arrested in Thurber, Erath County.
Armstrong had been wanted since October 2025 on warrants for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements and bail jumping/failure to appear in court, according to Texas DPS.
In 1992, Armstrong was convicted and sentenced to 5 years in prison for delivery of marijuana. He was then convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1997 for aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child following incidents with a 12 and 14-year-old girl.
Armstrong was arrested for not complying with sex offender registration requirements and sentenced to three years in prison.
So far in 2026, the Texas Department of Public Safety and partner agencies have arrested 33 of Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitives, sex offenders, and criminal illegal immigrants, with $50,500 in rewards paid for tips leading to arrests.
Anyone with information on wanted fugitives can submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-252-TIPS (8477), through the Department of Safety website, or via Facebook.
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