A 70-year-old Cuero man will spend the next decade behind bars after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child, entering his plea on Monday, the day his trial was scheduled to begin in DeWitt County District Court. Ruben Morales's plea agreement resulted in a 10-year prison sentence, closing out a case that began with his arrest in February 2024.
According to Crossroads Today, the deal was shaped directly by input from the victim and the victim's family. DeWitt County District Attorney Brian Cromeens, who leads prosecutions across the 24th Judicial District covering DeWitt, Calhoun, and Goliad counties, said the victim's voice was heard and respected throughout the process. Cromeens also said that no resolution can undo the harm done to the victim, a statement that underscores the limits of any courtroom outcome in a case like this one.
How the Case Came Together
The station's report credits both the Cuero Police Department and Norma's House Child Advocacy Center with providing the investigative and forensic work essential to building the case against Morales. Norma's House, a regional advocacy organization founded in Gonzales County in 1997, expanded its official service area into DeWitt County in September 2023 and later opened a satellite office on Hunt Street in Cuero in 2024, according to Norma's House. That local presence gave investigators access to forensic interviews and family support services without sending a child to a distant facility.
The center's reach extends well beyond this single case. In fiscal year 2024, Norma's House provided forensic, medical, and counseling services to 583 child victims across Gonzales, Lavaca, and DeWitt counties, with sexual abuse accounting for 58% of all cases the center handled, per the same account. Statewide, roughly 175 children are identified as abuse victims every day across Texas, according to the Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County.
What the Sentence Means Under Texas Law
Aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony in Texas, carrying a statutory punishment range of 5 to 99 years or life in prison along with a fine of up to $10,000, under Texas Penal Code Section 22.021 as detailed by FindLaw. Morales's 10-year term sits near the bottom of that range, reflecting a negotiated outcome rather than a maximum punishment.
Because the offense is classified as a restricted parole crime under Texas Government Code Section 508.145(d)(3), Morales must serve at least half of his sentence, or five years, before he becomes eligible for parole review, with no credit for good conduct time, according to Gunter, Bennett and Anthes. Once released, he will also be subject to mandatory lifetime sex offender registration under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 62, a requirement that applies to anyone convicted of or pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Prior Cases in DeWitt County
Morales's case is not the first of its kind to move through DeWitt County courts. In February 2020, another Cuero man, Jasciel Campos, received a 35-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child, a plea agreement that similarly aimed to spare a child victim from testifying at trial, as reported by The Victoria Advocate. In a separate DeWitt County case, Cuero resident Martin Perez-Leal was sentenced to 66 years in prison after being convicted of continuous sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony under Texas law.
Cuero, the county seat of DeWitt County, had a population of 8,128 as of the 2020 U.S. Census and sits roughly 85 miles east of San Antonio. In a small community like this one, cases like Morales's tend to ripple through local institutions, from the police department that investigated it to the advocacy center that supported the victim's family through the process.
