G Raymond 
U.S. Marshals added to its Most Wanted list a former Abilene youth minister who did not show up for his trial on charges of child sex crimes.
Jeffrey Winston Forrest, 47, is wanted by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office for two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, bail jumping and failure to appear. The U.S. Marshals joined the manhunt for Forrest after he was charged with fleeing to avoid prosecution, according to a news release.
“The unimaginable crimes allegedly committed by Jeffrey Forrest make him a significant threat to the public, especially children,” U.S. Marshals Service Director Donald Washington said.
The agency is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading directly to the fugitive’s arrest.
In 2015, charges were filed against Forrest when four victims came forward and accused him of sexual assault. The victims stated Forrest repeatedly assaulted them from the ages of 8 to 15, the release said.
Investigators believe he used his position as a youth minister at several different churches to gain access and groom his victims, the release said.
A former student of Forrest’s claims the day care teacher repeatedly sexually assaulted him from 1993-99, from the time the boy was in second grade until eighth grade, according to Reporter-News files.
Forrest worked at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church;s day care at the time.
The boy did not report the abuse until 2011, and Forrest was indicted on the charges by a Taylor County grand jury in July 2015, according to Reporter-News files.
Forrest was arrested April 2, 2015 on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Following his arrest, Forrest was released on bond and a trial date was set for Aug. 29, 2016, for which he did not appear. After an investigation into his disappearance, authorities determined he never intended to, the release said.
“It was discovered Forrest planned to flee to Mexico and obtain a new identity,” said Deputy U.S. Marshal Darrell Clark of the Northern District of Texas.
While investigators found credible evidence of his travel to Mexico, his trail has grown cold due to his use and knowledge of the dark web and communication software such as Tor to mask his digital footprint, the release said.
The television show “In Pursuit with John Walsh” highlighted’s Forrest fugitive status in the second season premiere in January.
