Texas Troopers Take Down ‘Most Wanted’ Fugitive With Violent Past

Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety captured one of the state’s ‘10 Most Wanted’ fugitives, wanted on assault charges, earlier this week.

DPS Troopers arrested Eliud Perez Reyes – a “violent offender” – in a traffic stop near the southern border on May 26, according to a press release. Reyes was wanted in Hidalgo County and Fayette County on charges ranging from assault with a deadly weapon to theft of property.

The troopers pulled over the 45-year-old Reyes in Palmview, a small town along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the release. The suspect was driving a white 2014 Ford Escape, and he “initially provided a false name to officers when asked for identification.” The Palmview Police Department “assisted in Reyes’ investigation.” He was considered “armed and dangerous.”

Reyes was booked into the Hidalgo County Jail May 27, according to jail records. His charge from Fayette County carries a $10,000 bond, and his charge for failing to identify as a fugitive carries a $5,000 bond. 

Reyes was wanted from Hidalgo County since December 2024 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault of a family or household member by impeding breathing or circulation, and sexual assault, the release said. According to Hidalgo County Jail records, he allegedly committed all three offenses on December 10, 2022. 

Fayette County in Central Texas also issued a warrant for his arrest in January for alleged “theft of property,” according to the release. Since Reyes lied about his identity in the most recent traffic stop, he also faces a charge for “failure to identify as a fugitive from justice.”

The Mission Police Department had previously arrested Reyes in December 2022, according to jail records. He faced charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault of a family or household member by impeding breathing or circulation, and sexual assault. Each charge carried a $5,000 bond. Reyes was booked into the jail on December 12 and released on December 23. 

Earlier that year, in March 2022, the La Joya Police Department arrested Reyes for driving while intoxicated, according to jail records. He was given a personal recognizance bond of $5,000. Reyes was booked on March 6 and released the same day.

Texas’ Most Wanted

Texas DPS is still seeking the public’s help finding the nine other fugitives on the “10 Most Wanted” list, according to the release. The governor’s Public Safety Office funds cash rewards for “any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders or Criminal Illegal Immigrants.”

One of these suspects – Stephen Joseph Vess, an alleged pedophile — has ties to Rockwall County, in the eastern portion of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. He is wanted for sexual assault of a child and possession of child pornography.

Vess was arrested in Rockwall County for sexual assault of a child and bonded out in 2014, according to the listing. He allegedly committed sexual assault of a child on August 26, 2014, according to Rockwall County Jail records. His bond was set at $50,000, and he was released on September 18 that year. 

He reportedly failed to appear in court later that year, and warrants for his arrest were issued from Rockwall County on November 13, 2014. Officials are offering up to a $3,000 reward.

The “Most Wanted” suspect with the most recent arrest warrant is Trevor Rhea McEuen. The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office arrested him in May 2023 for “alleged involvement in the shooting and killing of his neighbor” in Forney, just east of the DFW metroplex. While living near Grand Saline in East Texas, McEuen allegedly removed his ankle monitor on May 5, 2025, and failed to appear for trial in Kaufman County. Since then, county officials issued arrest warrants for capital murder by terror threat, murder, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Another warrant was “issued out of Van Zandt County” for arson of a home. 

Police have been seeking another suspect, Arthur DeWayne Carson, for the longest time among those on the “Most Wanted” list – nearly 12 years. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued an arrest warrant in October 2013 for a parole violation, and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office issued an arrest warrant in September 2014 for aggravated robbery. Carson was last known to be in Austin “and believed to be homeless.” 

Texas DPS maintains another, separate “10 Most Wanted” list for sex offenders, several of whom have ties to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. 

In Dallas, Cecil Colby Smith is wanted for child abuse and failure to register; Billy Morris Kelly is wanted for failure to comply with registration. In Grand Prairie, Gregory Jon Pecina Jr. is wanted for kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, failing to register as an offender, and violating probation after being charged with sexually assaulting a child. In Irving, Michael Evan Scott is wanted for violating registration requirements, and violating probation after being charged with indecent exposure to a child.

“All tips are anonymous — regardless of how they are submitted — and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name,” the release reads. “Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.”