Fate of US child predator.

A Texas child predator who was arrested in Calgary is another step closer to being sent back to the US.

The fugitive Steven Andrew Hayes is expected to have a detention review hearing today as the first step to handling him over to the authorities towards south of the border.

On Tuesday, when the Calgary police arrested Hayes, he had been floating about on city streets, while posing as a construction worker named Mike Steiner for the past year.

The 49-year old from Lewisville, Texas, has been on the run after he was convicted of forced sexual assault on a child.

Lewisville police say that Hayes was convicted of sexual offences against minors in Texas as well as Kansas. He was to register with police department as a sex offender, after being indicted in 2005 for aggravated sexual assault of child, he didn’t do that.

Calgary police have completed their end of the investigation now. So the Canadian Immigration and Refugee board must hold a detention review within a period of 48 hours of Hayes’ arrest in order to determine whether he will be kept in custody or not.

Also in the offing is a hearing of the Canada Border Services Agency in order to determine of he is admissible to Canada. The end result is an exclusion of Hayes that would see him delivered back to the United States.

Hayes is just one among over 100 fugitives who have been collared roaming Calgary streets by police recently. After forming a stand-alone fugitive apprehension unit in June 2007, Calgary police have tracked down fugitives wanted for homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, and even prolific break and enter artists.

On Wednesday, two more fugitives were arrested in Calgary. One of them was wanted for unlawful confinement and robbery, while the other was being unlawfully at large.

Staff Sgt. Tony Manning of the fugitive apprehension detail said that they have been doing this everyday and assess the kind of threats that these people can have on citizens of Calgary and Alberta.

He said that they have been having great success and believes that they have certainly affected the crime in Calgary in a positive way.

Manning holds a breakaway unit which also comprises of six constables and an analyst. Manning said that criminals who are trying to slip off the radar won’t get far on Calgary streets.

A fugitive is a fugitive and he doesn’t care if he is an American, Canadian or European, he said.