ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Shock and outrage was the reaction from neighbors in the Berkshire subdivision of Orange Park on Tuesday after learning someone living nearby was a fugitive from Texas.
Federal marshals captured Vegas Brown, 36, in Orange Park about 1,300 miles from where he was designated a wanted fugitive who was presumed to be armed and dangerous.
The Texas Department of Public Safety placed Brown on the state’s Top 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender list after it said he violated his sex offender probation and then dropped off their radar.
In 2018, Brown was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Amarillo, Texas.
He was sentenced to 10 years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.
But by 2021, Texas DPS could not find him.
Then, on Monday Federal Marshals captured him at a home in Orange Park.
The charges were violating his probation by failing to register as a sex offender and failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
According to neighbors, Brown has been at the Orange Park home for the last 18 months. Neighbors were shocked when they learned why he was taken into custody.
“Well, it just goes to show that you don’t know who’s living next to you anymore. We live in a pretty transient society,” one neighbor said.
“I’m happy to get someone like this off the street. Having children and being so close. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my own,” another neighbor said.
Every neighbor News4JAX spoke with said Brown and the relatives he lived with here were very quiet, kept to themselves, and never appeared to do anything that would attract law enforcement to the house. So how federal marshals found him here is still unclear. It’s also unclear if the relatives knew he was on the run.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office which assisted with the arrest issued a statement:
“The apprehension of Vegas Jarrod Brown, one of Texas’ top 10 most wanted fugitives, was a team effort involving CCSO and the U.S. Marshalls. This arrest demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting our children and ensuring their safety. Our tireless fight against individuals who pose a threat to our children is relentless. By capturing this probation violator and predator, we have effectively averted potential harm to innocent lives in Clay County. You cannot and will not hide out in Clay County. We will diligently track you down and bring to justice anyone who commits such despicable acts, as the safety and well-being of our children remain our primary concern.”
At some point, Brown is expected to be extradited back to Texas.