STAFF REPORTS
San Marcos Police have arrested two fugitives sought for failing to register as sex offenders after a compliance check in April.
Billy Joe Crayton, 25, and Patrick Colton Merworth, 19, were both taken into custody on Thursday, April 29, 2010 during a joint operation by the San Marcos Police Department, Hays County Sheriff’s Office and the Fugitive Unit of the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Crayton was found hiding in the attic of a San Marcos residence when officers visited the home searching for him, officials said. Merworth was located by authorities in Holt’s Summit, Mo., after San Marcos Police learned that he may be residing in that city.
Merworth is currently in custody in Holt’s Summit and will be extradited to Hays County after answering to charges against him in Missouri. Crayton is currently in custody at the Hays County Jail. His bond is set at $140,000.
Merworth was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a three-year-old girl, with a disposition date in 2004. Crayton was also convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a three-year-old girl, with a disposition date in 1999.
Failing to register as a sex offender is a State Jail Felony punishable by confinement in a state jail from 180 days to two years and a fine up to $10,000.
