Search continues for rapist on the run

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Law enforcement officers on Tuesday said they were scouring San Antonio for leads that might help them apprehend the convicted rapist who on Sunday cut off his ankle bracelet and fled from a halfway house in Del Valle.

"Our Investigator here will reach out to San Antonio and sau were have some information that this fugitive may have traveled to San Antonio -- can your check out these leads for us?" said Cord Campbell of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.

James Anthony Rubio, 55, was added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender list after he cut off his ankle monitor and fled from the Travis County Residential Center in Del Valle Sunday just after 11:30 p.m., officials said.

A $5,000 cash reward is being offered for information leading to Rubio's capture. He was discharged from prison in April after serving a 20-year sentence. The Del Valle center is described as a "non-secure facility." Officials there on Tuesday acknowledged that Rubio ran off, but offered no additional information about the escape.

Rubio, now wanted for felony failure to comply with civil commitment requirements, is a sexually violent predator with previous military training and experience. Anyone encountering him should use extreme caution, officials said.

Rubio has relatives and friends living in San Antonio. On Monday, authorties speculated that he might be headed to Mexico. But they were less certain of that on Tuesday.

Officials said that private citizens should not attempt to bring Rubio in on their own.

Rubio served time in prison for sexually assaulting four different women, three of whom were in their 20s, while the fourth was 14 years old.

During these offenses, Rubio threatened to kill his victims and/or their loved ones, punched the victims and/or used scissors or other objects to prevent their escape, according to DPS.

Rubio can speak Spanish, earned an auto mechanics certificate from a vocational college and served four years in the military.

Rubio is described as:

• 5 feet 7 inches tall
• weighs 186 pounds
• tattoos include a rose/baby doll, skull, star, and cobra on his right arm; Marine Corps symbol and eagle/"JR" on his left arm; cowgirl, roses, unicorn, and spurs on his chest; and Mardi Gras masks on right shoulder.

Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of the Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitives or sex offenders.

There are four different ways to provide anonymous tips:

• Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
• Text the letters DPS—followed by your tip—to 274637 (CRIMES) from your cell phone.
• 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 at http://www.facebook.com/texas10mostwanted by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).

All calls, texts, e-mails and Facebook messages are anonymous.

DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Sex Offender lists. To view the current lists—with photos—visit the DPS website .