September 20, 2023 335 PM
REDFORD — Last Tuesday, Ariel Salazar Armendariz of Redford was taken into custody for alleged continuous sexual abuse of a young child and child grooming, two separate felony charges that Salazar will face in district court.
Salazar, described in the arrest report as a 23-year-old man who works in construction, was arrested after a Presidio ISD student claimed that she had been sexually abused by him over the course of nearly 11 years. Authorities have declined to identify the victim because the victim is a minor.
Continuous sexual abuse of a young child is a first-degree felony committed by an abuser above the age of 17 against a victim under the age of 14 over a period of 30 or more days. Even for a first-time offender, a conviction carries a minimum 25-year prison sentence.
Child grooming charges were enhanced during this year’s legislative session to become third-degree felony charges. By Texas law, grooming is defined as “an act of deliberately establishing a connection with a child in an attempt to subject them to sexual abuse or human trafficking.”
At press time, Salazar was being detained with bond set at $50,000 for continuous sexual abuse of a young child and $30,000 for child grooming and had not yet met with legal representation.
