Sex Offender Escapes Halfway House, Removes GPS Monitor

State officials are searching for a ”sexually violent predator” after he escaped from a halfway house in East Austin Tuesday.

Fernando Thompson, 57, removed his GPS monitor before leaving the house, located in the 6100 block of Wheless Cove in Austin, reported KXAN. Texas Department of Public Safety officials told the station that Thompson’s location is unknown, but they say he may be driving a 1997 Chevrolet Lumina with license plate number GCL5976.

Thompson was convicted for an aggravated rape of a child in 1982 in Jefferson County.

Here’s a description of Thompson according to the DPS Sex Offender Registry.

• Height: 5’4”
• Weight: 176
• Hair Color: Gray
• Eye Color: Brown
• Race: White
• Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic

[Photos courtesy of Texas Department of Safety]