Three of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders Arrested

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), three of Texas' 10 most wanted are back in custody.

Christopher Garay was apprehended on November 29, and Johnny Wilson was arrested on December 2. Both were on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. Crime Stoppers rewards will be paid for both arrests.

Michael Petterson, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender, was arrested on November 27.

Christopher Joshua Garay

Christopher Joshua Garay, 35, was taken into custody in San Antonio. Following up on tip information, U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force members—including DPS Special Agents—and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Office of the Inspector General (TDCJ OIG) located and arrested him.

In 2011, Garay was convicted of five counts of aggravated robbery and sentenced to 18 years of confinement for each count. In 2018, he was released on parole from TDCJ.

Garay had been wanted since January 2024, when a warrant was issued for his arrest out of Bexar Co. for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Additionally, in February 2024, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a parole warrant for his arrest.

Johnny Leon Wilson

Johnny Leon Wilson, 54, was taken into custody in Grand Prairie. Following up on tip information, members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force—including DPS Special Agents—Fort Worth Police Department, Grand Prairie Police Department, Mansfield Police Department, and TDCJ OIG, located and arrested him.

In 2019, Wilson was arrested by the Houston Police Department for murder. He subsequently bonded out with an ankle monitor, which he later either damaged or removed.

Wilson had been wanted since February 2023, when the Harris County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest for murder.

Michael Wayne Petterson

Michael Wayne Petterson, 55, a high-risk sex offender, was taken into custody in Dayton. Working off investigative information, DPS Special Agents and Troopers, along with the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office and members of the U.S. Marshals Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force, located and arrested him.

In 1991, Petterson was convicted of aggravated sexual assault following an incident with a 17-year-old female. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 years of confinement.

In 2003, Petterson was convicted of harassment. In 2008, he was convicted of failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements and subsequently sentenced to five years probation. In 2014, he was convicted of assault on a family/household member by impeding breath/circulation and subsequently sentenced to five years probation.

Petterson had been wanted since November 2023, when the San Augustine County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.

So far in 2024, DPS and other agencies have arrested 44 Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders and Criminal Illegal Immigrants, including 16 sex offenders, 10 gang members, and 4 criminal illegal immigrants—with $32,000 in rewards being paid for tips that yielded arrests.

To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods:

• Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
• Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about and then clicking on the link under their picture.
• Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).

All tips are anonymous and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.

DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders, and Criminal Illegal Immigrants Lists.

Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.