Tips from the public helped sheriff's deputies track down 48-year-old Eric Rocha in San Elizario on Wednesday, ending a search for a man wanted on multiple child sex charges in far east El Paso County. Deputies say Rocha was taken into custody without incident and remains in county custody.
According to KFOX, members of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit located Rocha in the 12900 block of Petunia Drive and arrested him on Wednesday. The sheriff’s office said Rocha faces three counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, with the alleged victim younger than 14. After his arrest, he was booked into the El Paso County Downtown Detention Facility on a combined bond of $125,000, according to the sheriff’s office.
What the charges mean
Under Texas law, continuous sexual abuse of a young child covers two or more acts of sexual abuse committed over a period of 30 days or more and is prosecuted as a first-degree felony that can carry decades in prison. See Texas Penal Code §21.02 for the statute’s elements and penalties. Indecency with a child by sexual contact is defined separately under Texas Penal Code §21.11 and covers criminal sexual touching of a minor.
How to report tips
Anyone with information about this case or related concerns is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 915-566-8477 or submit an anonymous tip online. Crime Stoppers of El Paso says tipsters may qualify for cash rewards and can remain anonymous. The case will move through the local court system, where prosecutors will decide whether to file formal indictments and set an arraignment date.
