A Cedar Park man who sexually assaulted a 4-year-old has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in a case that began with a report from a local home on Dec. 27, 2024. The Cedar Park Police Department identified the man as 32-year-old Mason Hidalgo and publicly outlined the case and sentence in a Facebook update on March 30, 2026.
According to the Cedar Park Police Department, officers were called to a Cedar Park home on Dec. 27, 2024, for a report of aggravated sexual assault of a child. The department said the victim was 4 years old and that Hidalgo was taken into custody at the scene, then booked into the Williamson County Jail. Investigators collected DNA evidence, which the department said was later analyzed by the Texas Department of Public Safety crime laboratory and confirmed Hidalgo’s DNA on the child. Police said Hidalgo ultimately pleaded guilty and received a 20-year prison sentence.
Evidence and lab testing
Investigators submitted biological samples from the case to the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory for testing. The DPS has described upgrades to its DNA testing program, including a move to direct-to-DNA processing and expanded CODIS uploads, that are intended to speed forensic results in sexual assault investigations, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Charges, sentence and legal context
Under Texas law, aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony that can result in a substantial prison term. Texas Penal Code § 22.021 allows for a sentence ranging from five to 99 years or life, and cases involving very young victims can trigger enhanced mandatory minimums and lifetime registration as a sex offender, according to Texas Penal Code § 22.021.
Victim support and local resources
The Cedar Park Police Department’s Facebook post also pointed families toward local support services. The city’s victim services office and area nonprofits offer counseling, advocacy, and accompaniment for forensic exams to survivors and their families. Cedar Park’s victim services page lists the department’s Crime Victim Advocates and community partners, including Hope Alliance and the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center, as options for those seeking help, according to Cedar Park Victim Services.
The timeline from the Dec. 27, 2024, arrest to the guilty plea and 20-year sentence reported on March 30, 2026, highlights how long child-victim cases can move through the courts. For more details, the department’s Facebook post remains the main public record of the investigation and outcome; see the Cedar Park Police Department.
