A Texas man charged with sexually assaulting a child between the ages of 14 and 17 was released Thursday on $1 bail after prosecutors missed a filing deadline, according to court records.
Luis Sanchez, 25 was arrested in May for allegedly raping a teen who became pregnant, authorities said. Texas law requires a criminal indictment be filed within 90 days of a suspect being jailed, but Harris County prosecutors missed that deadline, court records show.
Sanchez must wear a GPS monitoring device and is confined to house arrest under the terms of his bond. His next scheduled hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10, according to court records.
In April 2022, a 16-year-old Harris County girl was taken to a hospital by her mother, authorities said. The girl allegedly confided to her mother that, “Luis drugged me and raped me,” authorities said.
The teen said she and her siblings had visited the suspect’s home, where he gave her alcohol and later sent her siblings home, authorities alleged. The girl said she woke up the next morning in bed with Sanchez, who was naked, authorities claimed.
A DNA paternity test identified Sanchez, according to court records.
The teen’s mother said her family is shocked by the low bail given to Sanchez.
“God forbid, if he were to get out of the ankle monitor, he would be gone in a flash,” she told KTRK-TV. “Now, my daughter is terrified he may try to come and find her. No amount of apologies will fix that.”
Prosecutors missed the filing deadline by two days, according to court records and local reports.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office did not answer specific questions from Digital about why the deadline was missed.
Under Texas law, if the criminal filing deadline is missed, bail must be set in an amount the suspect can afford. Sanchez was declared indigent by the court, and bail was set at $1.
In response to Digital’s emails seeking comment about the missed deadline, the district attorney’s office wrote in an email Friday:
“Mr. Sanchez remains charged with felony sexual assault of a child. He has been released on bond and remains under house arrest with an ankle monitor and an exclusionary zone regarding the victim and other children,” the email said.
“The District Attorney’s Office is continuing to investigate this case as well as potential cases involving this victim and others in at least two counties,” the email concluded.
