AURORA, Colo. — Law enforcement had been chasing a highly wanted citizen of Honduras for years as he hid out in Aurora, however he'd managed to escape capture until just this week.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said they captured Jose Victor Bonilla-Melendez after tips poured in following a Denver7 report on highly wanted immigrants with criminal histories.
Bonilla-Melendez had been hiding out in Aurora for years following several felony convictions for assault, sexual assault and unlawful re-entry following deportation.
ICE officials said he had been in custody in the past, but Aurora Police were forced to release the man on bond in 2014. Police released the man before ICE successfully issued a detainer.
"A convicted felon and one of our most wanted fugitives, Bonilla-Melendez is a threat no more and is in custody awaiting removal from the United States," Jeffrey Lynch, the field office director in Denver, said.
During the arrest of Bonilla-Melendez, ICE officials said they also successfully found another wanted man — Bonilla-Melendez's brother.
"The unanticipated encounter of Jose Bonilla-Melendez's brother, German Bonilla — another criminal alien — demonstrates the dangerous nature of our Fugitive Operations Teams," Lynch said.
Police credited the public for viewing the report, then calling in tips to help capture the wanted man.
MORE |See the gallery that led to Bonilla-Melendez's arrest.
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