One of two registered sex offenders who shed their GPS ankle bracelets that keep track of their locations turned himself in early Thursday on live television.
Valentino Rodriguez was paroled Oct. 4 and was living at 5819 E. Olympic Blvd. in East Los Angeles, according to the Sheriff's Department. Authorities said he removed his GPS tracking device in South Los Angeles and was being sought, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials said Wednesday.
The case took an unusual turn Thursday at about 8:30 a.m. when a KTLA reporter ran into Rodriguez in East LA on live television. He said he used a scissors to cut off the monitoring device.
Rodriguez said he wanted to turn himself in and "man-up about it."
"Basically, I got scared," he told KTLA.
Deputies arrived a few minutes later at took him into custody.
On Monday, he removed the tracking device at an Arco station at Century Boulevard and Main Street in South Los Angeles, sheriff's officials said.
Rodriguez is one of two sex offenders that, according to authorities, recently removed his monitoring device. Another offender, Nathaniel Henry, 41 of Lucerne Valley, is a registered sex offender and was currently on parole. Authorities said Henry cut off his GPS tracker and his whereabouts are unknown, although he was last seen in Victor Valley.
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Meanwhile, California Highway Patrol officers captured a yet another registered sex offender who had cut off his GPS ankle bracelet and walked away from an Apple Valley halfway house Tuesday.
William Quantrille, 26, was found Wednesday near the Highway 138 and 15 Freeway junction in the evening, officials said.
He had walked away from an Apple Valley halfway house.
Despite these recent incidents, one state senator who helped push the mandated ankle bracelet policy says it’s still absolutely an effective means of tracking parolees. State Sen. George Runner R-Lancaster said, “there are tens of thousands of parolees who wear these devices. We should not be surprised that a few suspects have chosen to cut them off. Evil people do evil things.”
Runner said, “these suspects will be apprehended.”
