Police Searching For Escaped Fort Worth Convicted Sex Predator
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS (CBS 11 NEWS) - Police in North Richland Hills worry a man wanted in a kidnapping and robbery there may also be a convicted sexual predator who escaped from a Fort Worth halfway house.
Charles Raymond Sprague, 45, cut off an ankle monitor about 5:30 Wednesday morning, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The DPS describes Sprague as a violent sex offender and convicted kidnapper with a history of carrying guns.
He bears a physical resemblance to a man who kidnapped a woman about seven hours later in North Richland Hills...and then dropped her off behind an abandoned warehouse.
"It's safe to say he does match the general description---and there is some information---that shows there could be a connection between him and our offense," police investigator Keith Bauman told reporters Wednesday.
"I was very scared, especially being someone who lives around the area," said local resident Kaitlyn Novak. "Just wanting to keep myself safe, my family safe, and I'm kind of scared that it happened during the day."
The kidnapper may still have the victim's car. It's a gray 2008 Toyota 4-Runner with Texas license CYF-1075.
Late Thursday, the DPS confirmed a late Wednesday sighting of Sprague at the Austin Street Shelter in Dallas. He was wearing a ballcap and driving a white 2000 Honda Accord with a black rear bumper.
The D-P-S is also offering a reward for up to 2-thousand dollars for information leading to the arrest of Charles Sprague.