Wanted man arrested after being found unconscious behind Ashland City Walmart

ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A welfare check on an unconscious man in Ashland City led to the arrest of a wanted fugitive over the weekend.

The Ashland City Police Department was called to the Walmart on Highway 12 on Sunday, Sept. 1. Behind the store, near a dumpster, officers found a man who appeared unconscious.

“Hey, wake up,” an officer said in the body camera footage.

Manuel Moya, 40, was lying on top of a bicycle.

“Did you fall off?” the officer asked.

“Just chillin’,” Moya replied.

Authorities soon learned the man was wanted out of New Mexico for violation of the sex offender registry.

As the officer slapped on the cuffs, she said, “We are going to extradite you, okay? For failure to register as a sex offender.”

Court records indicate Moya served two years for attempted sexual assault in Colorado. That charge was in 2010. Moya served some prison time and was released in 2012.

According to the arrest warrant out of Valencia County, New Mexico, among the conditions of being a sex offender, violators are required to check in every 90 days. Investigators told News 2 that Moya registered with law enforcement in April, but when he missed his July check-in, authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.

Per that warrant, Moya’s 2010 Colorado conviction for “Sexual Assault – overcome Victim’s Will” has been translated to the New Mexico equivalent of third-degree criminal sexual penetration. As such, state law mandates he register as a sex offender once every 90 days for the remainder of his life.

Once they arrested him, officers searched Moya’s belongings and found syringes. He admitted he was using some kind of stimulant.

“What have you used? H?” the officer asked.

“No, it was methamphetamines,” Moya mumbled.

“Amphetamines?” the officer said.

Before going to jail, Moya called his mother.

“Hi Mom, it’s me. I just wanted to call and let you to know that they did pick me up on my warrant from New Mexico for failure to register,” he said over the phone, adding that he loved her and he was sorry.

News 2 also called Moya’s mother, who said the family now lives in the Nashville area, where Moya’s daughter lives.

According to Moya’s mother, the 40-year-old has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), he has always wandered, and he has led the life of a panhandler out on the streets.

However, she said her son mostly has a good heart and will go out of his way to help anyone. Moya’s mother added that he walks with God and God watches over him.

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Ashland City Police Chief Kenny Ray told News 2 his officers did a good job getting a wanted sex offender off the streets.

“He’s going back to where he belongs, where he should have been,” Ray said. “[The officers] did a great job and they did their job and they did a good job, and we got somebody off the streets who shouldn’t have been here to start with. “

Moya is being held in the Cheatham County Jail until authorities from New Mexico come to pick him up.

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