Sex Offender Wanted for Failure to Appear in Court

A Harrisonville man, a sex offender, is wanted by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office after he didn't show up in court for sentencing.

Jose A. Mendez, 41, is required to register his change of address as a sex offender. He was convicted of failure to do so, but didn’t appear in court for sentencing, authorities say.

Mendez, of Harrisonville Road, Harrisonville, is 6 feet, 1 inch tall, weighs 195 pounds and has brown hair and eyes. He has prosthetics for both his right and left arms.

He also has a multitude of identifying tattoos:

• Samantha Serafina on his back
• No dice on his left arm
• Mendez on his left calf
• Cross on his right calf
• Noelia on his right leg
• Mendez on his upper left arm
• Faces and a Chinese letter on his upper right arm

Mendez’s case stems from an investigation after he failed to register annually with the Harrison Police Department as a sex offender. He had last registered on Jan. 26, 2011. After he didn’t register in 2012, police discovered his previous home was uninhabitable because of a fire in May 2011.

Mendez pleaded guilty Sept. 4, 2012, for failing to register his address change, but didn’t appear in court for sentencing, the prosecutor’s office says.

Mendez was convicted as a sex offender in 1997 in Maryland after he sexually assaulted a girlfriend's family member, according to New Jersey's sex offender database.

Anyone who knows Mendez’s whereabouts should not attempt to apprehend him. Instead, contact the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office at 856-384-5643 or GCPO Sgt. Barry Johnson at 856-498-5485.                                         

Other fugitives wanted by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office can be viewed on the GCPO website. 

About this column: Wanted in Gloucester County is a weekly feature about an alleged fugitive sought by the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office. All information comes from the office.