A Dallas man has been added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
The Texas Department of Public Safety added 41-year-old Leonard Lamar Neal to its list of most wanted fugitives. DPS is offering $10,000 in reward money for information leading to his arrest, according to a news release.
On June 13, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest for aggravated sexual assault of a child, aggravated kidnapping, and kidnapping. Neal is the suspect who was identified by law enforcement on June 11 in connection with the kidnapping of a 7-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy, which prompted an Amber Alert.
Both children were eventually found.
Neal is described as an African American man, 5 feet 11 inches in height, weighing approximately 150 pounds, according to the release. He has tattoos along his neck, right ear, and left arm and ties to Dallas and DeSoto.
Texas Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives.
Thus far, in 2023, DPS and other law enforcement agencies have arrested 19 Top 10 fugitives.
To be eligible for a cash reward, a person must provide information via one of the following methods:
Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS.
Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about and then clicking on the link under his picture.
Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).
The City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard indicates that 83 kidnappings occurred within city limits in the first four months of the year. Dallas police officers continue to patrol the streets amid a significant shortage of officers. The department is presently some 400-500 officers short of what is needed to adequately fight crime, according to Mike Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association.
Downtown Dallas, in particular, struggles with crime. Last fall, a dedicated police unit was created for neighboring Deep Ellum. Dedicated police units are common in downtown areas. Fort Worth uses such a unit alongside private security guards, and the Houston Police Department maintains a special unit called the Downtown Division.