A former Texas 10 Most Wanted Criminal was sentenced to nearly four decades in prison for impregnating a young girl in 2024.
The man, an undocumented immigrant living in Harris County at the time of his arrest, was apprehended following a weeks-long investigation into child sexual abuse and minor smuggling.
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Texas criminal sentenced
Jose Miguel Zelaya-Ponce, 22, was sentenced to 38 years in jail in Harris County on January 13th.
He was found guilty on federal charges of ongoing sexual abuse of a child.
Investigation begins
The Texas Rangers became aware of Zelaya-Ponce in July 2024, when a Border Patrol tip came in concerning an adult woman transporting a little child and a pregnant 11-year-old in Sierra Blanca.
When they found her and questioned her, she revealed she was in the United States illegally with her two sons—the boy in the car and Zelaya-Ponce, who they discovered was pregnant—and the girl. The woman was detained for smuggling a minor under the age of 18, and a warrant for Zelaya-Ponce’s arrest was issued by Harris County.
Zelaya-Ponce arrested
Zelaya-Ponce was placed on the most wanted list in August 2024 and apprehended on August 23, 2024, by the Texas DPS.
Following his arrest, the Texas Department of Public Safety claims DNA testing showed the infant was his. They also discovered that Zelaya-Ponce lived with the 11-year-old victim, subjecting him to constant sexual molestation.
