A former Texas Juvenile Justice Department Juvenile Correctional Officer has been taken into custody on charges involving misconduct against a child. Gerardo Puente, 27, faces allegations of two counts of indecency with a child by exposure and one count of indecency with a child by contact, as reported by CBS Austin.
The charges Puente is up against are serious: up to 10 years in prison for the first two counts and potentially up to 20 years for the third. These investigations were set to quickly commence after allegations surfaced in June 2024. Puente's arrest took place on Monday, July 15, 2024, with the alleged indecent acts occurring during his tenure at the Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg. According to Click2Houston, while serving as a correctional officer, Puente is accused of having made inappropriate physical contact with a victim's genitals and coercing the victim to expose themselves.
The Office of Inspector General of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department led the probe into the matter, stating that the respective incidents occurred in May and June. In a disturbing configuration of trust and power, an individual whose duty it was to guide and protect, stands accused of manipulating that position for exploitative ends.
Each count of indecency by exposure, classified as a third-degree felony, carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years, while the charge of indecency by contact could lead to as much as 20 years imprisonment. Aside from imprisonment, each count is also punishable by a fine of up to $10,000. Puente's arrest joins a worrying thread of similar cases that question the safety and integrity of juvenile detention facilities. It remains to soon determine how this case may unfold and affect the wider community's confidence in the system designed to rehabilitate its youth.
The full extent of the legal consequences for Puente will be clearer as the case progresses through the judicial system.
