Child sex suspect at large since 2009 arrested at Hidalgo bridge

HIDALGO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended a man wanted on a felony charge for aggravated assault of a child.

Juan Carlos Avila, a U.S. citizen living in Campeche, Mexico, attempted to cross through the Hidalgo International Bridge on Saturday.

Avila, 61, arrived from Mexico at the bridge when he was stopped by an officer who discovered he was a possible match for an arrest warrant.

Once in a secondary inspection, CBP officers used biometric verification to confirm his identity along with an active arrest warrant out of Harris County.

Authorities have been looking for Avila since 2009.

He is being charges with aggravated sexual assault on a child under 14 years of age, a first-degree felony.