MAN WITH OVER 500 IMAGES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY RECEIVES 60 YEARS

Derrick Wilson was discovered trading child pornography images through a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Sgt. Cody Sartor from the Texas Attorney General’s Office followed up on the tip and after identifying Wilson discovered over 500 images and videos of child sexual abuse material.

Derrick Wilson pled guilty to one count of sexual performance of a child and two counts of possession with intent to promote child pornography. The plea bargain called Wilson to be sentenced to the maximum allowed under the law, 20 years, and allowed for prosecutors to argue that the sentences should be stacked. Assistant District Attorney Erika Price argued that the only effective way to protect our community from future danger was to ensure that Wilson was behind bars. Hon. Judge Jennifer Dillingham sentenced Wilson to a combined total of 60 years. Sgt. Sartor testified that Wilson was also directing children in other states to create videos and send them to him. We thank the hard work of the Texas Attorney General’s Office on these difficult cases along with Adult Probation unit for preparing the presentence investigation report. Our office remains committed to fighting for child abuse victims.

FRIO COUNTY MAN GETS 20 YEARS FOR AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD

On December 7, 2023, the Honorable Judge Russell Wilson sentenced Zachary Rey Sambrano to 20 years in prison for the offense of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.
In the summer of 2021, the 12 year old victim was spending a few weeks with the defendant prior to going back home to start the new school year. The night of the sexual assault, the defendant came into the bedroom where the victim was sleeping and took off her shorts and his shorts and got on top of her and proceeded to sexually assault her. Once the defendant left the room, the victim immediately outcried to another adult who was in the home asleep. The police were called, as well as the child’s mother, who immediately drove several hours to pick up the victim. The defendant was questioned by police, where he admitted to the sexual assault.
Although this defendant deserved many more years in prison, this sentence was reached by discussing this with the victim and her family and taking into account how traumatic testifying in court would be for her. We ensured justice was served and we made every effort not to revictimize her.
We would like to thank the hard work of the Dilley Police Department and our partners at the Children’s Alliance of South Texas. We would also like to thank our First Assistant District Attorney, Leslie Carranza for her continued dedication to the youngest and most vulnerable of our victims.

Domestic Abuse Defendant Sentenced in Atascosa County to 40 and 15 years in Prison

Rene Monreal entered a plea to 15 years prison on Sexual Assault and requested sentencing from the judge from 5 to a maximum of 40 years on Aggravated Kidnapping. Following a presentence investigation, the court held a hearing to determine the appropriate sentence on the Aggravated Kidnapping charge. The victim, Mr. Monreal’s former wife, testified to previous instances of violence in their relationship and threats made to herself, her family members, and Safer Path Family Violence Shelter. She testified as to how the events of that evening have had a lasting impact on her and her children who were present during the commission of the offenses. The defense requested a 15 year sentence to track with his plea on the other charge. The State argued for the 40 year maximum. Following the hearing, Judge Russell Wilson sentenced Mr. Monreal to 15 years as agreed upon to the Sexual Assault and 40 years on the Aggravated Kidnapping, the maximum possible under the terms of the plea agreement. Monreal will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence. This would not have been possible without the hard work of the Poteet Police Department, including former Officer Marissa Cedillo, Cpl. William Permenter, and Lt. Noe Rodriguez. The Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office was also very involved in helping out victim and her family, Sgt. Investigator Albert Garza in particular. We also extend our gratitude to the staff at Safer Path for their dedication to serving survivors of domestic violence, and Sarah Barrera with adult probation for her thorough work on the presentence investigation for the court. I am proud of the hard work and dedication of Erika Price and Ryan Wright in seeing that justice was served, and victim assistance coordinator Katie Quinney for helping our victim through the difficult process of our criminal justice system.

Atascosa Child Molester Goes to Prison

Back in 2013 and 2014, David Hebert was charged with Aggravated Sexual Assault for two children who were under 10 years old, and Sexual Assault of a 14 yr old child. Under the prior DA administration, in 2016 Hebert was given a plea bargain of 10 years deferred adjudication for Indecency with a Child by Exposure for each of the cases. Hebert violated his conditions of probation, and in February 2023 our office moved to revoke his probation. Hebert admitted to failing to register as a sex offender, a violation of his probation, and asked the court to allow him to remain on probation. One of our courageous victims testified and asked the court for justice. Our office asked for the maximum sentence for each victim’s case and that each sentence run consecutively, meaning Hebert must serve the sentence for each case separately. Judge Dillingham sentenced Hebert to the maximum of 10 years in prison on each case, running them consecutively. While still less than Hebert deserves for what he has done, we are grateful to have Hebert in prison where he belongs, and I am proud that our office fought for our victims. Thank you to Community Supervision Officer Brittany Ibarra for her hard work on the presentence investigation report, and to prosecutors Ryan Wright and Erika Price for their dedication to protecting our community from child predators.

Child Molester Gets Maximum 20 Year Prison Sentence from Wilson County Jury

Alexander Chavez chose to have a Wilson County jury determine his fate in regards to 3 counts of Sexual Assault of a Child.
Chavez pleaded guilty, then the jury heard from our victim as she retold the details of the abuse. Justice was served and other potential child victims are safe because of the bravery of the victim. Special thanks to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury who performed their civic duty honorably. Thank you for taking your job seriously and protecting future victims. Thank you to Det.
Gilbert Rodriguez, prosecutors Marc Ledet and Lorena Whitney, as well as Inv. Todd McCrohan in my office for working to protect our district from these predators.

Murder suspect sentenced to 60 years

District Judge Russell Wilson sentenced Marcelino Eli Esparza to 60 years in prison after he was found guilty by an Atascosa County jury for killing Margie Mendez Arguijo by strangulation on Aug. 30, 2020.

Esparza, 51, was found guilty of murder on Aug. 17 by a jury trial stemming from a first-degree murder indictment. Esparza entered a notguilty plea.

On Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020, the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office was called out to a trailer park on Horton Lane just outside the Poteet city limits for a deceased female. Upon arriving, Deputy Sheriff Peter Allen and Sergeant Investigator Gavin Lindsay were told by a male resident outside of a mobile home that he found Arguijo, 48, deceased inside the home.

Investigators noticed signs of ligature strangulation on Arguijo and an autopsy was ordered by Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2, Felix Herrera. The autopsy result revealed that Arguijo died of strangulation and her death was ruled a homicide.

On Sept. 3, 2020, investigators obtained a murder warrant for the arrest of Esparza of Poteet, for Arguijo’s murder. Esparza was arrested in Kerrville by Atascosa County Sheriff’s Investigators with the assistance of Kerr County Sheriff’s Office, Kerrville Police Department and Texas DPS. Esparza was booked into the Kerr County Jail under a $500,000 bond that evening.

According to court records, Esparza was convicted in 1991 of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon in Bexar County and convicted of tampering with evidence in 2007 in Defiance County, Ohio.

Presiding over the Esparza trial was the Honorable Russell Wilson.

We are grateful for the careful consideration of the jury, investigators with the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office, and critical testimony of the medical examiner in this case. Our office will continue to fight hard for justice for our victims, and safety and protection of our community. Thank you to prosecutors Ryan Wright and Erika Price for your hard work and effective presentation of the evidence to the jury and judge. Justice is served.

Wilson County Man Sentenced to 8 Years In Prison For Evading

A Wilson County jury took less than 8 minutes to convict Amador Guerrero of Evading with a Vehicle. Guerrero requested the judge assess his punishment. The evidence showed that on Halloween evening, Guerrero fled in his truck on Hwy 87, once he turned into a closed gate, he then fled on foot and had to be physically subdued by three officers. During the punishment phase, prosecutors also produced evidence of Guerrero committing burglary of a habitation by forcible entry and removing valuables within a relative's home. The defendant also chose to deposit checks on his banking app during his punishment hearing. Considering all the evidence, the Honorable Judge Dillingham assessed punishment at 8 years in prison. The defendant requested probation, and was eligible to be sentenced up to 10 years in prison. We are thankful for the hard work of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and La Vernia Police Department, particularly Sgt. Darrell Collins, Deputy Talon Adcox, and Officer C.J. Markgraf in apprehending this suspect. We are grateful to the jury for their service. Their prompt verdict shows that some defendants refuse to accept responsibility for their actions and it has to be spoon-fed to them by a jury of their peers. Thank you to prosecutors Marc Ledet and Catherine Hayes for seeking justice in this case.

 

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