The charge
Bianca Lopez, 37, was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on September 16, 2026, on a third-degree felony charge of violating the civil rights of a person in custody, according to the arrest warrant as reported by KSAT. Lopez is associated with the Fabian Dale Dominguez Unit, which is listed in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice unit directory.
What the warrant alleges
Details reported from the warrant allege that Lopez and an incarcerated man had multiple sexual interactions over approximately a year. KSAT reported that an investigator interviewed the man on September 16 and that Lopez later acknowledged the encounters when questioned. The allegations have not been established in a conviction.
Lopez was booked on a $10,000 bond, and records indicated that she remained at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, according to KSAT. No additional court dates had been reported in connection with the case as of publication.
What national data shows
The latest national official survey data indicates that sexual victimization in prisons includes incidents involving facility staff. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 4.1% of adult prison inmates reported sexual victimization in 2023–24, including 2.2% who reported victimization by facility staff. The cited data provides a national rate, not a Texas-specific estimate.
Texas law and TDCJ policy
Texas Penal Code Section 39.04 makes violating the civil rights of a person in custody a third-degree felony carrying two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to the cited statutory summary. The Texas Legislature's analysis of House Bill 3157 states that the 2021 law raised the civil-rights offense from a Class A misdemeanor to a third-degree felony and increased the penalty for improper sexual activity with a person in custody from a state jail felony to a second-degree felony.
The TDCJ Safe Prisons/PREA Plan says the agency has zero tolerance for sexual abuse and sexual harassment, including consensual sexual contact involving people in TDCJ custody. The plan applies to people employed by, contracted with, or supervised by TDCJ.
