Missing sex offender arrested in Mountain View Missing sex offender arrested in Mountain View (February 27, 2004)

Fugitive from Morgan Hill had escaped monitoring system

A fugitive high-risk sex offender, on the run for as long as five weeks since failing to properly register in accordance with Megan's Law, was tracked down in Mountain View on Feb. 18.

David Leon Duenas, 42, who had been convicted of assault with intent to commit rape, sodomy or oral copulation and was released on parole, had given authorities a Morgan Hill address as his residence, according to Terrance Helm, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force.

When a routine compliance check last week showed no signs of him actually living there, SAFE issued an alert and obtained two warrants for Duenas' arrest.

Within 24 hours, an anonymous tip led Mountain View police and SAFE to Duenas at a residence in the 400 block of Tyrella Avenue. He was arrested without incident at 1 p.m. and booked at the Santa Clara County Main Jail on charges of parole violation and failing to follow Megan's Law.

Helm said that when SAFE increased its staff from five officers to 12 over the past eight months, the task force improved its capability to respond quickly when one of the Bay Area's more than 4,000 registered sex offenders tries to slip away.

-- Dan Stapleton

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