Stuart Manuel Rios (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
A 49-year-old man in Texas was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a little girl after the child’s mother told authorities that she caught him in the act of harming her daughter. Stuart Manuel Rios, who allegedly blamed the victim and called her “evil,” was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Rios was initially arrested for the alleged sexual assault in late June, immediately after the child’s mother reported him to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, according to a report from the San Antonio Express-News. The report states that BCSO deputies responded to a residence in western Bexar County after receiving a call from a woman who said that she caught Rios acting inappropriately with her 10-year-old daughter.
The mother, whose name and relationship to Rios are not being reported, allegedly told investigators that she was in her home when she walked into a room and found Rios touching the young girl in a sexual manner. She immediately confronted Rios about his conduct, which reportedly caused him to flee the scene.
Authorities were able to track Rios down after he checked into a local hotel and took him into custody, the Express-News reported. In an interview with investigators, Rios allegedly provided a partial confession, conceding to detectives that he may have “done something that he should not have done.”
Rios was charged with one count of indecency with a child with contact and was released after posting $40,000 bond on the condition that he have no contact with the victim and not possess a firearm.
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However, as the investigation into Rios’ conduct progressed, authorities allegedly discovered that Rios had been grooming and abusing the victim for several years, San Antonio, Texas ABC affiliate KSAT-TV reported.
According to the report, the young victim told a sexual assault nurse examiner that the suspect had been sexually assaulting her for at least two years, often by “touching her privates.” The little girl allegedly claimed that Rios would often make her watch pornographic videos depicting other children being sexually abused. Additionally, she reportedly accused Rios of threatening her by saying that if she told anyone about the ongoing abuse, authorities would take her away from her mother.
In a follow-up interview with detectives after his release, Rios reportedly said he “made a mistake” before trying to blame the 10-year-old for his actions. Per KSAT, Rios said that he was scared of the child, calling her “evil” and then claimed that the little girl “came onto him.”
Following his second arrest, Rios was charged with continuous sexual abuse and held in detention at the Bexar County Jail on $100,000 bond, records show. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Aug. 2.
The BCSO and the county district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to messages from Law&Crime seeking additional details in the case against Rios.
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