Minnesota Level III Sex Offender Arrested In Illinois

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Level III predatory offender being sought by the Minnesota Department of Corrections was arrested on Thursday in Illinois, authorities say.

Law enforcement had been looking for Rico Ronondo Rodriguez, 34, after he cut off his GPS device and had escaped from a halfway house on Oct. 26. He was released from prison on Aug. 8 and had been on intensive supervised release, but was considered a fugitive since late October.

Authorities say a national warrant was issued for Rodriguez's arrest on Oct. 26. His car was spotted Thursday at an apartment in central Illinois by the Bellevue Police Department. He was taken into custody without incident and is currently in the St. Clair County Jail.

Rodriguez has an extensive criminal history that includes convictions for criminal sexual conduct. He was sentenced to prison in 2003 for criminal sexual conduct against a known juvenile female and was also sentenced to prison in 2012 for failure to register as a predatory offender.