CBP Catches Two Fugitives at Hidalgo Border

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is crediting biometric technology for the capture of two wanted criminals at the Texas border. Both men were wanted for sex-related crimes, and both were taken into custody on October 13 at the Hidalgo International Bridge crossing between Mexico and the United States.

Of the two, only one was captured while trying to enter the United States. The first, David Michael King, was caught while trying to get into Mexico. The Mexican border authorities caught him and handed him off to CBP, who then took him to a secondary screening area to verify his identity with biometric technology. CBP confirmed his arrest warrant, and eventually passed him on to the US Marshals Service when they arrived to collect the suspect.

The other suspect, Christopher Colin, was identified while trying to return to the United States from Mexico. Colin was spotted at the Hidalgo-Reynosa Bridge pedestrian crossing, and was flagged as a possible match for an outstanding warrant. Like King, he was then taken to a secondary screening area, where biometrics confirmed his identity and his criminal status.

King is 52 years old, and is wanted for statutory rape in Springfield, Missouri. Colin is 24 and is wanted for the sexual assault of a child in Hidalgo County. Both are residents and citizens of the United States, and were transported to the Hidalgo County jail ahead of further criminal proceedings. CBP stressed that both men are presumed innocent until found guilty in the court.

CBP installed its face-based Simplified Arrival system at the Hidalgo border back in March, as part of its larger rollout of the system at numerous Northern and Southern border crossings. The agency also credited biometrics for the apprehension of a pair of fugitives at the Laredo border. One was captured in January, while the other was caught in August of 2020.

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October 19, 2021 – by Eric Weiss