A previously deported illegal immigrant accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old was allegedly attempting to flee the United States to Mexico at the time of his apprehension Saturday, say police in Montgomery County, Texas.
Jose Manuel Tiscareno Hernandez, 31, who resided in Conroe, was charged with the aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to a media advisory released by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. It stated that the suspect was “in the country illegally and has been deported back to Mexico on multiple occasions.”
Montgomery County law enforcement authorities did not elaborate as to the duration of the purported sexual abuse or provide any information about the alleged victim other than stating the victim was 11 years old when the sexual abuse began.
The search for the suspect escalated on Thursday, January 10, when the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Special Victim’s Unit and crime investigators obtained a search warrant for Tiscareno Hernandez’s residence as part of a multi-agency probe into the sexual assault of a child, according to the press release.
“During the execution of the search warrant at the suspect’s residence, the suspect was not home but detectives received information that the suspect was intending to flee the United States and head back to Mexico,” stated Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office officials in the advisory.
In response to receiving that tip, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Tiscareno Hernandez and a second search warrant, executed on Friday, January 11, at a different location to collect additional evidence related to the purported sexual assault of a child.
Then, on Saturday morning, January 12, state and federal law enforcement partners investigating this case located and apprehended the suspect in Conroe. Tiscareno Hernandez was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $500,000 bond, according to online jail records.
Tiscareno Hernandez remains incarcerated, detained on a U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold requested by federal authorities because of the nature of the crime and the suspect’s current immigration status, according to the press release.
Following the arrest, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that numerous law enforcement agencies worked together to find and arrest the “sexual assault suspect.”
Those agencies included the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit and SWAT, as well as investigators with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, and special agents with the FBI, ICE, and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the press release.
In Texas, the crime of sexual assault is considered “aggravated” sexual assault when it involves a child under the age of 14 years old. It is considered a first degree felony and the minimum term for this offense, if convicted, is 25 years in prison. It may also carry a fine up to a $10,000. Penalties may increase if additional charges are filed.
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