Shooting Suspect Caught

Fayette County Keith Korenek reports that the missing suspect from the shooting near Fayetteville last Tuesday was apprehended on Friday, Sept. 27.

The Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Jesse Davidson, 39.

Davidson led law enforcement on a three-day manhunt following the shooting off Halamicek Loop last Tuesday, Sept. 24, in which another man was wounded in the arm by birdshot. The wounded man was arrested the following day for being a felon in possession of body armor.

The Sheriff’s Office said Davidson had a federal warrant for violating federal probation and a warrant out of Bastrop County for failure to register as a sex offender.

The Sheriff’s Office called in the Austin County Special Response Team along with aviation resources to assist in the search Tuesday afternoon. On Thursday, U.S. Marshals conducted a separate search of the property looking for Davidson.

According to the Texas Sex Offender Registry, Davidson had been living in Bastrop County. An Oregon Court convicted Davidson in 2005 of third degree rape of a 14year old.

According to federal court records, Davidson was released from federal prison back on June 5 after serving a sentence for felon in possession of a firearm. Court records state that had been previously convicted for a range of felonies including robbery, vehicle theft, identity theft, and arson, along with the 2004 rape. All of those crimes were committed in Oregon and California.

The court records also stated that following his release from prison, Davidson was supposed to report to the Jackson County Jail in Medford, Oregon, to resolve some outstanding warrants. Davidson never reported to the jail, according to an affidavit filed by his probation officer. That triggered the federal arrest warrant.

Davidson had registered as a sex offender in Bastrop County on July 11. His status was changed to “absconded” on Sept. 6.

The Sheriff’s Office said Davidson was arrested in Fayette County last Friday.