San Angelo Man Accused of Assaulting Child for Two Years

A 40-year-old San Angelo man, Tony Joe Hood, was arrested Wednesday morning on charges of continuous sexual assault of a child, following an outcry the victim made to Child Protective Services (CPS) and a subsequent arrest warrant.

Hood is accused of continually assaulting the female victim over a nearly two-year period at two different San Angelo addresses. The assault, a complaint filed with the court states, began around Aug. 16, 2011 and concluded around May 15, 2013. At that time, the child was under 14 years old.

Authorities first became aware of the assault in May of 2014, nearly a year after the abuse had ceased, when the child made an outcry to Child Protective Services.

In a subsequent forensic interview with Melody Jeter of the Child Advocacy Center’s Hope House, the victim stated that the abuse began in 2011 and continued every other week for roughly two years, sometimes occurring more often depending on when she was alone with Hood.

San Angelo Police Detective Bobby Elrod was notified of the abuse via CPS on May 29, 2014, and began an investigation into the case. Following interviews with the parents and defendant, and having viewed the forensic interview, Elrod filed a complaint with Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Eddie Howard on June 19, 2014, which resulted in the issuance of an arrest warrant.

Hood was arrested on July 16 by officers of the San Angelo Police Department. He is being held against a $50,000 surety bond. Sex abuse of a child continuous, victim under 14 is a first-degree felony punishable by 25-99 years imprisonment or life, and an optional fine not to exceed $10k. Hood does not have any previous criminal charges on file in Tom Green County.