Escaped Tattoo-Covered Sex Offender Could Be In Cedar Park, Austin

CEDAR PARK, TX — U.S. Marshals Service officials have launched a manhunt for an escaped sex offender who could be in the Austin area, federal authorities said on Wednesday.

Matthew Ezekiel Stager, 43, was en route from Virginia to the Austin Transitional Center in Del Valle last week when officials lost track of him at an airport. The man had been furloughed from a correctional facility in Petersburg, Va. when he eluded authorities when he failed to check in for his flight to the Austin area, officials said.

Stager was convicted of indecency with a child in 1999 in North Carolina. He has a criminal history spanning across many states that include charges ranging from burglary to rape. Officials theorize Stager might be in the Central Texas area given family connections and previous residencies in Cedar Park and Temple.

Stager wouldn't be hard to spot, as his face is completely covered in tattoos. He goes by the nicknames of "Black Moon," "Black Moon X" and Jesse Crew, and stands five feet, eight inches tall weighing 145 pounds. He has green eyes and blondish hair.

Anyone spotting him or with information on his whereabouts are advised to call the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force at (512) 800-4213.

>>> Photo of Matthew Ezekiel Stager courtesy of U.S. Marshals Service