West Coast sex offender captured
On Monday, May 7, Kenneth Earl Hooks was arrested for numerous sex offenses against children that include possession of images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct , employment or use of minors to perform prohibited acts and invasion of privacy and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Members of the United States Marshals Service led Lone Star Fugitive Task Force (LSFTF) and the Southwest Fugitive Task Force (SWFTF) worked closely with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agents to locate and arrest Hooks, 35, who was wanted on both State and Federal charges related to the sexual exploitation of a child .
On May 4, the U.S. Marshals asked for the public’s help in locating Hooks who was believed to be in the El Paso area.
Hooks’ arrest was conducted by members of the LSFTF, SWFTF, HSI and other law enforcement partners with developed information that Hooks was hiding in an apartment on the 1300 block of Espina Road, Las Cruces.
Hooks arrest concluded a month long manhunt which began on April 2, when Hooks went on the run after his girlfriend, Sarah Morris, 28, was arrested for related charges in a California desert area known as Slab City.
Deputy U.S. Marshals in El Centro, California began searching for Hooks, who was wanted in Imperial County, California, for
These charges stem from an investigation conducted by the Imperial Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is led by HSI Calexico, and the Brawley Police Department.
Hooks was believed to be transient in an effort to avoid capture, although he had familial ties to the State of Alabama. Investigators first tracked Hooks to El Paso and subsequently to Las Cruces.
Simultaneously, HSI Special Agents were building a Federal case against Hooks in Alabama. On May 4, Hooks was formally charged in the Northern District of Alabama with the offense of production of child pornography and a Federal arrest warrant was issued for Hooks arrest.
Hooks was booked into the Dona Ana County Jail where he will await court proceedings and extradition to the Northern District of Alabama.
