Three of Texas’ 10 most wanted sex offenders are back behind bars after a flurry of arrests across the state this month. The men, identified as Andrew Anthony Lopez, Albert Merell Jr. and Kerry Jay Armstrong, were taken into custody in San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Thurber, with arrests recorded on May 6 and May 11, 2026. Authorities say the captures capped months of searching that centered largely on alleged failures to comply with sex offender registration rules.
State Records Confirm The Captures
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s captured roster lists Lopez, Merell and Armstrong as returned to custody and confirms that Lopez was arrested May 6 in San Antonio, while Merell and Armstrong were taken into custody May 11 in Corpus Christi and Thurber, respectively, according to Texas Department of Public Safety. The DPS entry credits a mix of task forces and local agencies with the arrests and notes that the operations were investigative rather than tip driven.
Case Histories And Charges
Local reporting and state notices outline each man’s criminal background and the warrants that landed them on the Texas 10 Most Wanted list. Lopez, 36, had been wanted since February on a Bexar County warrant alleging failure to comply with sex offender registration and was convicted in 2013 of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sentenced to 10 years. Merell, 48, had been wanted since August 2025 on a Tarrant County warrant and has earlier convictions from 2001 for aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and burglary. Armstrong, 57, had been wanted since October 2025 and has prior convictions including a 1997 Denton County aggravated sexual assault of a child, as reported by WOAI.
Who Worked The Arrests
State bulletins describe the captures as coordinated task force operations that pulled in local and federal partners. For Lopez’s arrest in San Antonio, DPS credits the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, DPS Criminal Investigations Division special agents, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and other partners. Merell’s capture in Corpus Christi involved the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force, while Armstrong was located in Thurber by a DPS special agent assigned to the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force working with the Erath County Sheriff’s Office, according to DPS bulletins.
Penalties For Failing To Register
Failure to comply with registration requirements is a criminal offense under Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, and the punishment depends on the registrant’s classification and verification schedule. The statute ties penalties to the offender’s registration category, with offenses ranging from a state jail felony to a second degree felony, and it allows for enhanced penalties in some repeat or fraudulent cases. Full details are laid out in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 62.
What Officials Say And What Comes Next
Officials say the men will be booked and processed in the local jurisdictions while prosecutors review the outstanding allegations and prior cases. Members of the public are being urged to contact local law enforcement or Texas Crime Stoppers with any relevant information, particularly about other fugitives still at large.
The string of arrests lands in the middle of a statewide push to tighten enforcement on repeat offenders, an initiative Governor Greg Abbott highlighted earlier this month in a release from the Office of the Governor. The latest captures suggest that, at least for these three fugitives, that pressure campaign is already having real consequences.
