Sexual predator on America’s Most Wanted arrested in Navasota

A man that has been on the run for 17-years after being convicted of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child in Bell County was arrested without incident in Navasota Tuesday, Oct. 15.

V i c t o r Leon, 58, has been featured on several crime shows including a S e p t e m - ber 2012 episode of America’s Most Wanted on Lifetime. Leon was c o n v i c t - ed in Bell County, of assaulting his daughter, age 12 at the time of the incident, dating back to June 1, 1996, on multiple occasions.

After being convicted in 2002 and sentenced to 80-years in the Texas Department of Corrections, the judge in the case allowed Leon to have a few days to get his affairs in order before turning himself in. Leon fled and has been on the run since, eluding officers from multiple agencies by using multiple aliases, in a search that covered multiple states and countries.

According to arresting officer Lt. Michael Mize of Navasota Police Department, Bell County received a lead that a vehicle associated with Leon and his girlfriend Tessie Mc-Cord was presumed to be in Navasota.

Mize said he located the vehicle at Navasota Inn, 9460 SH 6 Frontage Rd. South in Navasota. Officers from Navasota Police Department along with the U.S. Marshals began an investigation.

After hours of surveillance, officers contacted McCord and located Leon inside a hotel room. Leon was taken into custody at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15. McCord, 56, was also taken into custody for assisting Leon and is charged with Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution of a Convicted Felon, a Third-Degree Felony. The charge is punishable by 2-10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine if convicted.