- Iris Iliana Rodriguez, 34, was arrested in Jalisco, Mexico, on December 11 after being on the run since 2015
- Rodriguez was scheduled to be arrested for an inappropriate relationship with an 11-year-old girl in Laredo, Texas, before her escape
- She was placed on the Texas 10 Most Wanted list and was found after someone referred her to Crime Stoppers
A counselor who “had sex with an 11-year-old girl under her care” in Texas has been caught in Mexico after nearly a decade on the run.
Authorities announced Friday that 34-year-old Iris Iliana Rodriguez was arrested on Dec. 11 in Jalisco, Mexico, by members of the International Criminal Police Organization after she was reported to Crime Stoppers.
Rodriguez had been on the run since January 2015 after it was discovered that she had an inappropriate relationship with an underage woman in Laredo, Texas, about 150 miles from San Antonio.
At that time, Webb County issued warrants for her arrest, including three counts of indecency with a child and three counts of unlawful restraint and harassment. She has since been charged with two further charges of indecency with a child by sexual contact and fleeing to avoid prosecution.
Before she could be arrested nearly a decade ago, she fled to Mexico and was placed on the Texas Ten Most Wanted list.
Iris Iliana Rodriguez, 34, was arrested Dec. 11 in Jalisco, Mexico, after fleeing the U.S. in January 2015 after she was found to have had an inappropriate relationship with an underage woman in Laredo, Texas
After the incident, Rodriguez fled south of the border and was discovered after nearly a decade in Jalisco, Mexico
According to authorities, the tipster received a $5,000 reward for information about Rodriguez's whereabouts.
“The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), along with DPS Criminal Investigations Special Agents from Laredo, coordinated efforts with the USMS Country Attaché in Mexico to develop a plan for the arrest with the assistance of INTERPOL Mexico,” the Texas Department of Public said Safety in a Facebook post on Friday.
Rodriquez's inappropriate altercation with the 11-year-old girl reportedly occurred while she was working as a counselor for the Children, Youth and Parent Services Program in Laredo.
The program is designed to “provide comprehensive services to youth ages 3 to 17 with a diagnosis of mental illness who may have an emotional, behavioral, or mental disorder with serious functional impairment,” according to the program’s website.
She then accepted a new position at Border Region Behavioral Health Center, also located in Laredo.
Her new job “allowed her to visit the little girl at school under the guise of offering guidance and advice,” according to WOAI-TV.
It is unclear how long she will face prison time and whether she will face trial for her crimes. It is also unclear where exactly in Jalisco it was discovered.