Quartzite, Ariz. - U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Yuma Sector arrested a convicted sex offender Saturday evening following a vehicle stop near Quartzite.
Border Patrol agents assigned to the Blythe Station stopped a Nissan Altima traveling northbound on Highway 95 at about 5 p.m. During the stop agents determined that the passenger, Juan Manuel Chavez-Jimenez, was illegally present in the United States. Agents arrested Chavez and took him and the driver to the Blythe Border Patrol Station for further processing.
At the station, agents ran records checks on Chavez and discovered that he was a convicted sex offender. In 1992, Chavez was charged with lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 in Salinas, Calif. At the time, Chavez faced a minimum of two years in prison because the child was six years old, but he plead guilty to the charge and received six months in jail and one year probation. Chavez is registered in California as a sex offender, but is currently in violation of reporting requirements.
Chavez will be processed for removal. The driver was found to be a legal permanent resident and was released with his vehicle.
The apprehension and deportation of dangerous criminals, especially those that prey on our children, reaffirms the U.S. Border Patrol's commitment to reducing crime in border communities and improving the quality of life.