An 82-year-old man wanted in Arizona for nearly two decades on felony child molestation and sexual conduct with a minor charges was arrested outside his Bexar County home while doing yard work. Deputies took Jesus Ruben Rodriguez into custody without incident and booked him into the Bexar County Jail, closing out a case that began with a routine traffic stop three weeks earlier.
The unraveling started on August 12, when a Bexar County Precinct 2 deputy pulled Rodriguez over for a traffic violation, according to WOAI. An alert flagged during the stop indicated Rodriguez could be someone wanted in Arizona, but Arizona authorities could not confirm at that time that he was actually the man they were looking for. His identifying information did not fully match what Arizona had on file, so Rodriguez received a written warning for the traffic violation and was allowed to leave.
Yard Work Interrupted by an Arrest
The following day, deputies went to Rodriguez’s home in Bexar County and found him outside doing yard work. He was arrested without incident and taken to the Bexar County Jail. Rodriguez acknowledged that his real name was Jesse Rodriguez, per authorities, and said he knew about the Arizona warrant and had been a fugitive for nearly 20 years. Per the same account from the constable’s office, Rodriguez acknowledged he had lived in Arizona around the time of the alleged crimes, though he denied involvement in the criminal activity itself.
The Hawk’s Eye reported that Rodriguez had lived in a trailer park in Arizona and that he acknowledged using the alias Jesse Rodriguez once deputies caught up with him. He is wanted in Maricopa County, Arizona, on felony charges of sexual conduct with a minor and child molestation, and is expected to be returned to Arizona to face those charges.
Why the Warrant Never Expired
The nearly two-decade gap between the alleged crimes and Rodriguez’s arrest is explained by Arizona law. Felony child molestation and violent sexual offenses against minors carry no statute of limitations in Arizona, according to CHM Law, even though general felony statutes of limitations in the state run just seven years. That legal carve-out is why Maricopa County was able to keep an active arrest warrant against Rodriguez alive for nearly 20 years, and why age alone did not shield an 82-year-old suspect from prosecution…