A man wanted on felony child sexual abuse charges in Beckham County is in custody after barricading himself inside a home in the small Washita County town of Dill City, prompting a standoff with multiple law enforcement agencies before he surrendered. John Torres Diaz had allegedly cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor and fled the area after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
According to KOKH, Elk City police arrested the 53-year-old on charges connected to an investigation by the department's Criminal Investigations Division. Diaz is charged with sexual abuse of a child under 12 and rape by instrumentation, the station reports. The Elk City Police Department had previously identified Diaz as a 53-year-old male while publicly seeking help locating him, according to The Penny News.
The warrants against Diaz were filed in Beckham County District Court under case number CF-2025-00174, per court filings reported by the same outlet. Beckham County District Court handles felony prosecutions for western Oklahoma municipalities including Elk City and Sayre, the article notes.
Search Widens From Sayre to Dill City
Per the station's report, officers with the U.S. Marshals Service, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Elk City Police Department first executed a search warrant at a home in Sayre, the Beckham County seat. Investigators later learned Diaz was at a home in Dill City, according to KOKH.
Dill City is a small rural town of about 420 residents as of the 2020 U.S. Census, covering roughly 0.6 square miles, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Once authorities located Diaz there, he barricaded himself inside the home and refused to comply with officers' commands, KOKH reports. Officers ultimately used less-lethal options before Diaz surrendered and was taken into custody.
Federal Marshals Joined the Manhunt
U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force operations combine federal resources with local and state police to track wanted suspects across jurisdictional lines. Elk City detectives involved in a 2024 case were members of the Oklahoma Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, according to KECO 96.5FM.
Severe Penalties Under Oklahoma Law
Diaz faces steep statutory exposure if convicted. Under Oklahoma Statute Title 21 O.S. § 843.5, sexual abuse of a child under 12 is an offense; under 21 O.S. § 20C, it is classified as a Class A1 felony carrying a mandatory minimum of 25 years up to life in prison, with defendants required to serve at least 85 percent of that term before becoming eligible for parole, according to the Urbanic Law Firm. Separately, rape by instrumentation involving a victim under 14 is classified as first-degree rape under Title 21 O.S. §§ 1111.1 and 1114, punishable by up to life imprisonment or life without parole, per the LawFirmOfOklahoma.
Removing a court-ordered electronic ankle monitor may carry additional consequences depending on the circumstances and terms of release, according to Radio Oklahoma News. All charges against Diaz remain allegations at this stage, pending adjudication in Beckham County District Court.
