A 22-year-old man recently featured on El Paso's "Top Ten Most Wanted" list is now in custody after sheriff's deputies tracked him to San Elizario and arrested him on an aggravated robbery charge, authorities said.
Deputies located Justin Ray Chavez on Monday in the 12300 block of Campo Bello Drive off Camino De La Rosa Road, where the El Paso County Sheriff's Office says he surrendered without incident. He was taken to the county detention facility, booked on an aggravated robbery charge, and is being held without bond.
According to KVIA, deputies said they received information that led them to Chavez's location before making the arrest. KVIA also reported that Chavez had recently appeared on Crime Stoppers of El Paso's "Top Ten Most Wanted" list.
What aggravated robbery charges mean
Under Texas law, aggravated robbery is a robbery charge that is elevated when the suspect causes serious bodily injury, uses or displays a deadly weapon, or targets an elderly or disabled person. The offense is treated as a first-degree felony, a classification that carries heavy prison exposure if the charge is proven at trial. The statute defining the offense appears in Texas Penal Code §29.03.
How the Top Ten list factors in
Crime Stoppers of El Paso regularly circulates a weekly "Ten Most Wanted" roundup to spur tips from the public, and local coverage of the program shows those posters often prompt leads that help deputies narrow searches. As surface tips from the public reported, the nonprofit asks tipsters to call or submit anonymous information online, and law enforcement stresses that the public should not attempt to approach anyone named on the lists, as per Hoodline.
What comes next
Chavez remains in custody on the aggravated robbery allegation while investigators and prosecutors review the case and move it through the county courts. The sheriff's office has not released additional details about the alleged robbery, and any further developments, including formal charges or a first court appearance, will be handled through the county prosecutor and court system.
