A 42-year-old Arlington man who was serving probation for indecency with a child is now headed to prison for 20 years after a judge found he stopped registering as a sex offender while under court supervision. Joshua Rodriguez had pled guilty to three counts of indecency with a child and was initially sentenced to probation, but that supervision came to an end after his registration lapse triggered a revocation hearing.
The court revoked Rodriguez's probation and sentenced him to 20 years in prison, according to the Tarrant County DA. The office publicly thanked the Arlington Police Department for its work on the case and its commitment to keeping the community safe. Assistant District Attorney Jessica Brewer prosecuted the case, with Zachary Long serving as investigator and Angela Stevens as victim coordinator.
20 years in prison after probation revocation. pic.twitter.com/JSdsZH8UDL
— Tarrant County DA (@TarrantCountyDA) August 11, 2026
Indecency with a child by sexual contact is a second-degree felony in Texas, carrying a punishment range of two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to Deandra Grant Law. That range explains how a judge was legally authorized to hand down the maximum 20-year term once Rodriguez's probation was revoked.
How a Registry Violation Reopened the Case
Rodriguez's undoing was failing to register as a sex offender while on probation. Under Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, people required to register must report in person to local law enforcement within seven days of establishing or changing a residence and must routinely verify their registration information, per Dunham & Jones. Failure to comply is treated as its own independent felony offense — generally a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years when the underlying conviction requires lifetime annual registration, as explained by the Law Offices of Ned Barnett.
That registry lapse became the basis for the motion to revoke Rodriguez's probation. Under Article 42A.755 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, once a judge revokes community supervision, the court can sentence the offender to any term up to the original maximum allowed for the underlying offense. In practice, that meant Rodriguez's probation term could be — and was — converted into the full 20-year sentence tied to his original indecency charges.
No Jury Required for Revocation
Unlike a criminal trial, a motion to revoke probation in Texas is decided solely by a district judge, and only a preponderance of the evidence is required rather than the higher standard used to convict someone at trial, per Starr Law, P.C. That lower bar makes it comparatively easier for prosecutors to prove a violation like a missed registration requirement once probation is already in place.
Local Agencies Behind the Case
The case was investigated by the Arlington Police Department, which maintains a dedicated Sex Crimes Unit responsible for investigating sexual assault and child indecency cases, according to the City of Arlington. The department also oversees the municipal sex offender registry program, giving it a direct hand in flagging noncompliance like Rodriguez's. Separately, Arlington police's Victim Services Unit provides crisis intervention, courtroom accompaniment, and social service referrals to victims of violent and sexual crimes throughout an investigation and prosecution.
Prosecution fell to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office, which runs a Special Victims Unit that partners with local law enforcement, Cook Children's Medical Center, and the Alliance for Children to investigate and prosecute child sexual abuse cases, per Tarrant County. Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells, who took office in January 2023 after 25 years as a Tarrant County judge, oversees an office that processes more than 45,000 criminal case filings annually out of the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in Fort Worth. Tarrant County itself is the third-most populous county in Texas, with an estimated population exceeding 2.1 million residents spread across Fort Worth, Arlington, and surrounding municipalities, according to L&L Law Group.
Part of a Pattern of Tarrant County Cases
Rodriguez's sentence adds to a string of recent Tarrant County prosecutions involving child sex offenses and probation violations. Hoodline previously reported on a 20-year sentence for a White Settlement man secured by the DA's Special Victims Unit, as well as a 53-year sentence for an Arlington man convicted of abusing young relatives and a separate case in January in which a Tarrant County man drew 25 years after a violent probation breach. Whether Rodriguez's underlying indecency case shared any connection to Arlington Police Department's broader casework on child sex crimes was not detailed in the DA's announcement.
