Tip from 'Most Wanted' story leads to fugitive
By BRENDA SOMMER news1@leader-news.com

The ink was barely dry on Wednesday's Leader-News when a tipster read about El Campo's "Most Wanted" fugitive and called his location into police.

Roger Ray Vernon, 51, of 216 Olive was featured in that issue of the paper as part of an ongoing program of the newspaper, the El Campo Police Department and West Wharton County Crime Stoppers.

The "Most Wanted" program pays cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and grand jury indictment of those charged with felonies, and only hours after reading about Vernon's case, a tipster called and told police where to find the fugitive.

Police allege that on Sept. 9, around 2 a.m., Vernon stole a pressure washer from a fenced area behind Buc-ee's at 2403 N. Mechanic. Based on a tip, an El Campo Police officer found Vernon sitting in a chair at 100 Palacios just after 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and promptly arrested him on a warrant for theft under $1,500 with two or more previous convictions. He was held on $10,000 bond as of noon Thursday.

Anyone with information about any crime should call Crime Stoppers 24 hours a day at 543-8477.