Sparks, Nev. — A wanted felon was taken into custody Tuesday evening following a multi-agency law enforcement operation at a residence in Sparks, according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Human Exploitation and Recovery Operations (HERO) Team arrested Fernley resident Jose Menendez-Murray, 42, after serving a search warrant at a home on Greenbrae Drive on Jan. 13. Investigators said detectives located Menendez-Murray at the residence around 6:30 p.m., and refused to exit.
Authorities established a perimeter around the residence while waiting for a search warrant to be issued. The Sparks Police Department SWAT team was on hand to assist due to the circumstances of the arrest and Menendez-Murray’s refusal to surrender.
Additional resources included Washoe County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies, K-9 units, drone operators, and the department’s RAVEN aerial unit. The Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Notification Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service also assisted with surveillance and apprehension efforts.
After several attempts to communicate, Menendez-Murray surrendered, and officers took him into custody.
Menendez-Murray is looking at a felony warrant for failure to appear after posting bail on an original charge of fentanyl trafficking. Authorities said he also faces additional felony charges, including sex trafficking, facilitating sex trafficking, and living off the earnings of a prostitute. Those charges are from an ongoing HERO Team investigation.
During the operation, a second individual, Timothy Fagundes, 53, was also arrested. Authorities took Fagundes into custody on a Parole and Probation warrant related to an original charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
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