AUSTIN, Texas — Two of Texas’ most wanted sex offenders are in DPS custody following their arrests last week.
Law enforcement officials arrested 40-year-old Elliott Thomas Reed on Wednesday, Sept. 2 near Fort Worth and 56-year-old Abelardo Garza in south Texas on Sept. 3, according to Texas DPS.
Reed was arrested at a residence in Benbrook. He had been wanted since April 2026 after a warrant was issued for a parole violation, DPS says.
According to DPS, Reed has been convicted of many crimes since 2005, including sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, evading arrest, drug charges, weapons charges, and assault. Reed was sentenced to four years in prison for his sexual assault of a child conviction.
ALSO | Pickup driver seriously injured in crash with construction vehicle near Tesla Gigafactory
Garza was arrested at a residence in Brownsville on Thursday. He had been wanted since June 2026 for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements, according to DPS.
DPS says that Garza had previous convictions of aggravated sexual assault of a child after an incident involving an 8-year-old girl in Cameron County. He was sentenced to eight years of probation and was required to register quarterly as a sex offender for life.
Reed and Garza were both listed on Texas’ Top 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list.