Authorities in Iowa on Thursday arrested one of Texas’ most wanted, a McAllen man with ties to the Latin Kings who is wanted on warrants for aggravated assault and sex crimes against children.
In a news release, the Texas Department of Public Safety said the U.S. Marshals Southern Iowa Fugitive Task Force and police from Council Bluffs, Iowa arrested 35-year-old Paul Anthony Basaldua.
The city of Council Bluffs sits across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska.
McAllen police have been looking for Basaldua since Aug. 10, 2021, on a warrant for aggravated sexual assault. On July 15, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office issued warrants for Basaldua’s arrest on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact.
Basaldua has a long criminal history dating back to 2004 that begins with arrests for escaping from the Texas Youth Commission and aggravated robbery.
He has racked up nearly 20 arrests since 2004 and has also done a stint in federal prison after being caught with more than 83 pounds of marijuana at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint.
He was sentenced to more than three years in prison.
Basaldua also did an 18-month stint in prison in 2012 after being convicted of burglary of a habitation and in 2017, he was sentenced to five years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
