Wesley Wayne Miller, one of Tarrant County's most notorious sexual predators and killers, has been arrested again.
Miller is accused of having a secret romantic relationship with a female Tarrant County jailer while in custody, which is a violation of his civil commitment order, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
In 2006, Miller, a registered sex offender, became Texas' first convicted killer to be committed under the state's Sexually Violent Predator Program. He was forbidden to have contact with unapproved people or with potential victims.
"I'm not surprised that it happened, but pleased that he was where he was and that nobody got hurt. The system worked," said Rona Stratton Smith, whose sister Retha Stratton was fatally stabbed by Miller in 1982 after she rejected his sexual advances. "You can't predict a psychopath."
Officials said Miller, 45, was formally arrested Tuesday night at the Cold Springs Jail, where he was required to live under the terms of his civil commitment order because he has been deemed a sexually violent predator who poses a continuing threat to society.
Alana Minton, Tarrant County assistant district attorney, confirmed Wednesday that Miller has been charged with violating a civil commitment requirement, a third-degree felony. She declined to comment further because the case is pending.
Terry Grisham, a spokesman for the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department, said that the jailer with whom Miller is accused of having a relationship has been suspended pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation.
"We take all misconduct seriously, especially by employees," Grisham said.
The background: Miller was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1982 for stabbing Retha Stratton, an 18-year-old Castleberry High School cheerleader. Over the past two decades, Miller was released from prison on mandatory supervision several times under a state law in effect when he was convicted. Each time, he has been sent back because he refused to participate in sex-offender counseling or was accused of committing another crime.
In 2006, Miller became the first convicted murderer to be civilly committed under a 1999 law, which was expanded in 2006 to include killers with sexually motivated conduct. This meant that Miller, once released from prison, would have to live in supervised housing, follow a long list of rules and be supervised by the Council on Sex Offender Treatment. When Miller was released from prison in March 2007, he first lived at a facility in north Fort Worth and, later, at the Cold Springs Jail.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Miller admitted to starting a romantic relationship with a 21-year-old jailer in March 2008.
According to Miller's civil commitment order, he is not allowed to contact anyone unless it is first approved by his case manager and also could not have contact with potential victims. He was also required to make progress in his sex-offender treatment and to report any violations to his case manager.
If Miller is indicted and convicted, he could face up to life in prison because of his criminal record. He also has been discharged from the sex offender counseling program.
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