Hays County Sheriff’s Office assists in arrest of fugitive

By Jissela Cabrera

Assistant Director of News

HAYS COUNTY— The Hays County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Buda Police Department in the arrest of a fugitive accused of 30 sexual assaults.

In a public release, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said the Buda Police Department conducted a sexual assault investigation in April 2021 involving Juan Pablo Acosta, 45, of Buda. Acosta was arrested in July 2021 and charged with two counts of second-degree felony sexual assault and one count of discharge of a firearm bond forfeiture. He later bonded out of the Hays County Jail on a total bond of $103,500.

In November 2021, the Buda Police Department’s investigation resulted in 30 sexual assault warrants issued for Acosta out of Justice of the Peace Precinct 5.

Barry Lee, captain of the Buda Police Department’s criminal investigations division, said lead Detective Alex Fernandez, who has since retired, conducted several interviews with the victim and determined the victim had known Acosta for several years.

“In consulting with the Hays County District Attorney’s Office, and based on the best recollection of the victim, they were able to come up with about 30 separate incidents, so that’s why there were multiple counts filed under the same offense,” said Lee.

In December 2021, the HCSO Special Services Division was asked to locate Acosta, who had become a fugitive.

Lee said that further investigation confirmed Acosta had fled to Canada.

“We just got really lucky that we received a tip that Mr. Acosta may be in the Canada area,” said Lee. “I had some deputies tied to a United States Marshall Task Force and requested assistance in order to facilitate getting with authorities in Canada to possibly confirm if Acosta was in fact in that area.”

Sergeant Ryan Watkins, supervisor of the HCSO Fugitive Unit, said via email that they were contacted by Buda police because of their partnership with the United States Marshals Service (USMS).

“We were responsible for coordinating the apprehension and extradition of Acosta back to Hays County,” said Watkins. “The Fugitive Unit received all available information on Acosta from the Buda Police Department and became the primary point of contact during the fugitive investigation.”

Watkins said information later confirmed Acosta was living in Canada, shifting the case to the USMS.

“Our information was then sent to the USMS personnel in Canada who began their process in attempting to locate and subsequently arresting Acosta,” said Watkins. “The Hays County District Attorney’s Office coordinated with multiple US and partner nation court systems to complete the extradition process.”

On Oct. 29, 2025, Acosta was extradited by the USMS on the Texas charges and booked into the Hays County Jail.

Lee and Watkins both said the operation would not have been possible without cooperation among local law enforcement agencies, the Hays County District Attorney’s Office, the United States Marshals Service, the Department of Justice and Canadian authorities.

“I am hoping that now that we have Acosta back, thanks to that collaborative effort, that the victim will be able to get some closure and be able to move along with their life,” said Lee.