The Texas Department of Public Safety announced on Mar. 31 the arrest of Kenneth O’Brien Hiner, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender, in Hays County. Hiner was taken into custody at a residence in Kyle on Friday, March 27 by DPS Criminal Investigations Division Special Agents and Texas Highway Patrol Troopers. No reward will be paid for his arrest.
This development is significant as it underscores ongoing efforts to apprehend fugitives considered dangerous to the community. The Texas Department of Public Safety functions as a state agency focused on law enforcement and public safety, according to the official website.
Hiner, age 31, had been wanted since January out of Nueces County for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements. In 2013, he was arrested by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for sexual assault and abusive sexual contact – assault. He was found guilty and sentenced to nine months in a military detention facility and received a bad conduct discharge. Since then, he has been arrested three times for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
The Governor’s Public Safety Office funds Texas Crime Stoppers, which offers cash rewards for information leading to arrests from the state’s most wanted lists. So far this year, DPS and other agencies have arrested 17 individuals from these lists—including twelve sex offenders—paying $34,500 in rewards for tips that led to arrests.
The department promotes community safety through educational programs and initiatives according to its official website. It also provides statewide services such as driver licensing, vehicle inspections, crime records management and highway patrol operations across Texas.
DPS investigators work alongside local law enforcement agencies when selecting fugitives for their most wanted lists. The department maintains its headquarters in Austin according to its official website.
