A 19-year-old Flower Mound man is sitting in the Denton County Jail on a $100,000 bond, accused of sexually assaulting a minor he allegedly groomed over Snapchat, with an immigration detainer now attached to his case on top of the state charges. Juan Jose Pernia-Bohorquez was arrested by the Highland Village Police Department and booked into custody on August 12, according to court records.
The case traces back to a report from a juvenile victim who told authorities a man had sexually assaulted them, according to the Cross Timbers Gazette. The alleged assault occurred on July 18, and the victim came forward roughly a week later, on July 26, per the outlet's reporting. Officials say Pernia-Bohorquez had exchanged nude photos with the juvenile victim via Snapchat and allegedly sent the victim intimate photos as part of the alleged grooming.
Pernia-Bohorquez now faces charges of sexual assault of a child and possession of child pornography, the report notes. Under Texas Penal Code Section 22.011, sexual assault of a child involving a victim younger than 17 is a second-degree felony carrying a statutory penalty of 2 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to the Law Office of E. Jason Leach, PLLC. Texas law sets the age of consent at 17, and a minor's alleged consent is legally invalid when an older individual engages in sexual activity with them, per the Whalen Law Office.
Child Pornography Charge Carries Its Own Prison Exposure
The possession of child pornography charge adds a separate layer of legal risk. A first-offense conviction under Texas Penal Code Section 43.26 is generally a third-degree felony, punishable by 2 to 10 years in state prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and mandatory sex offender registration, according to the Neal Davis Law Firm. Penalties can escalate further if a defendant has prior convictions or if the material involves children under 14.
If convicted of either offense, Pernia-Bohorquez would face mandatory, lifelong compliance with Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, which requires sex offender registration and public disclosure, according to Cofer Luster Criminal Defense Lawyers. That registration regime restricts where a registrant can live and work and requires regular reporting to law enforcement.
ICE Detainer Adds a Federal Dimension
Beyond the state case, officials have placed an ICE detainer on Pernia-Bohorquez, related to immigration violations, per officials cited by the Cross Timbers Gazette. An ICE detainer is an administrative request asking local jails to hold someone up to 48 hours past their scheduled release so federal immigration authorities can take custody, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under Texas's 2017 Senate Bill 4, local law enforcement agencies statewide are legally required to comply with those federal hold requests, meaning that even if Pernia-Bohorquez posts his $100,000 surety bond, the Denton County Jail would still be obligated to hold him for immigration authorities.
Pernia-Bohorquez was booked and is currently held at the Denton County Jail, located in Denton County, with bond conditions attached to his release, per court records. The Highland Village Police Department, which made the arrest, is a full-service municipal agency authorized for 32 sworn officers under Chief Doug Reim, according to the City of Highland Village. Highland Village itself is a suburban city of roughly 16,000 residents in southern Denton County, sitting along Lewisville Lake and adjacent to Flower Mound, where Pernia-Bohorquez lives.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Denton County
This case lands amid a string of recent child exploitation prosecutions across Denton County. Hoodline has previously reported on a Denton man sentenced to 40 years after a teen was rescued from a West Oak apartment, and on an Aubrey man sentenced to life after a Denton jury handed down its verdict in the 367th Judicial District Court. Felony child sexual abuse cases in the county are prosecuted through a dedicated Child Abuse Prosecution Unit within the Denton County District Attorney's Office, which has secured multi-decade sentences in recent jury trials.
The alleged grooming method in this case — contact over Snapchat — also fits into a larger national trend. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received more than 50,000 reports of financial sextortion targeting youth in 2025 alone, part of 21.3 million overall CyberTipline reports the organization logged that year. Digital exploitation and online solicitation cases across North Texas are frequently investigated through the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which led a statewide operation in April that resulted in 276 arrests and the rescue of 89 children, according to FBI Dallas. It remains an open question whether that task force contributed digital forensics support to the investigation into Pernia-Bohorquez, or whether additional charges could follow as device examinations continue.
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