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FBI Beaumont agents flew 53-year-old Howard Lyons back from Mexico City to face Texas justice for the appalling crime he committed in Jefferson County in 2005, the Sheriff’s Office announced Friday evening.

A federal Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution investigation into Lyons was opened by FBI Beaumont in 2007.

Lyons was found and arrested in a small Yucatan peninsula town in late 2022 directly due to the dedicated work of FBI Beaumont’s investigative and analytical team, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Strong partnerships between the FBI’s International Operations Division, Mexican law enforcement and Interpol allowed FBI Beaumont’s investigative efforts to transcend U.S. borders.

Lyons was booked into the Jefferson County Correctional Facility shortly after 6 p.m. Friday.

Authorities said he was charged in 2005 for aggravated sexual assault of a child in a case that was originally run by the Beaumont Police Department.