Six Accused Child Predators Indicted

The grand jury this month passed down a list of 77 indictments in the county, five of which involved crimes committed against children and teens.

The offenses of the accused range from aggravated sexual assault of a child to online solicitation of a minor and a failure to register as a sex offender.

Below is a list of those indicted for child crimes, as well as what court documents reveal about the offenses alleged to have been committed.

Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child

Jacob Lee Mediano, 28, has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child that is alleged to have occurred around July 15, 2013.

According to a complaint filed by SAPD Detective Kelly Lajoie, suspicions arose when Mediano’s victim was reported to be pregnant at age 13. A pregnancy test conducted in February indicated that the victim was 12 years old when the assault occurred, and following an investigation, Lajoie and other investigators found evidence that Mediano is likely the father.

Mediano was jailed on April 22 for the charge against a $75,000 surety bond. He bonded out the next day and resides in San Angelo. His only other criminal charge dates back to Sept. 26, 2012, when he was jailed for assault causes bodily injury/family violence. Mediano posted a $2,500 surety bond for that offense and was released the following day.

Aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony punishable by 5-99 years imprisonment and an optional $10k fine.

Possession of Child Pornography/Online Solicitation of a Minor

Hunter Mark Tumlinson, 19, has been indicted on charges of with online solicitation of a minor and possession of child pornography, offenses that are alleged to have occurred on two different dates.

The pornography indictment filed with the court states that on Aug. 19, 2014, Tumlinson was in possession of an image that depicted a child under the age of 18 engaging in sexual conduct, described as “actual deviate sexual intercourse”.

Tumlinson’s second indictment states that on May 23, 2014, Tumlinson attempted to solicit sexual contact, intercourse, or deviate sexual intercourse from a male minor online and inviting the boy to meet with him.

Tumlinson was jailed for both offenses on Aug. 18, and is being held in lieu of a $50,000 surety bond on both charges. He was released the following day and has no prior criminal history in Tom Green County.

Both charges are third-degree felonies punishable by 2-10 years imprisonment and an optional $10k fine.

Indecency with a Child Sexual Contact

An incident at the Super 8 Motel has resulted in 21-year-old Tommy Pate being charged with indecency with a child sexual contact, after he allegedly touched a 14-year-old girl inappropriately while she was passed out.

A complaint filed by Detective Bobby Elrod states that alcohol was involved in the incident that occurred on April 26, 2014, and that the victim had repeatedly told the defendant how old she was at the motel. After awaking from an alcohol-induced sleep, the victim reported in a forensic interview, Pate was lying next to her and touching her.

Pate was arrested on April 26 and was held in lieu of a $25,000 surety bond until he was released on June 28. His prior criminal history includes a January 2013 evading arrest and detention charge, as well as a motion to revoke probation related to forgery.

Indecency with a child sexual contact is a second-degree felony punishable by 2-10 years imprisonment and an optional $10k fine.

Online Solicitation of a Minor Sexual Conduct

A 40-year-old male who was sending sexually explicit text messages to a boy under the age of 17 has been indicted for online solicitation of a minor sexual contact, after detectives obtained a search warrant and found messages asking the boy to meet and “party”.

Mark Edward Valadez was indicted on the single charge, which pertains to various messages sent over the span of at least a month to the boy, who reported interactions to police.

A search warrant on Valadez’s cell phone executed after the victim’s outcry turned up additional texts in which Valadez solicited the boy to meet and engage in sexual contact, sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse, a complaint filed by detective Joel Callaway states.

Messages sent on May 16 and June 15 ask the boy if he is ready to “party”, the complaint states, which the victim stated he knew meant to engage in sexual contact.

An evidentiary search and arrest warrant was executed on June 23, and Valadez was arrested in his home. Jail records indicate that following the arrest by TxDPS, Valadez was booked for online solicitation of a minor sexual contact, sexual assault of a child and possession PG2. Valadez was given a $25,000 bond on both of the sex charges and $1,000 bond on the possession charge. He bonded out on June 26. Valadez’s criminal history reflects two public intoxication charges, one in 2009 and one in 2011.

Online solicitation of a minor sexual contact is a third-degree felony punishable by 2-10 years imprisonment and an optional $10k fine.

Sexual Assault of a Child

Francisco G Garza has been indicted on one count of sexual assault of a child after a witness, also a child, walked in on him making sexual contact with the victim.

The alleged assault occurred on Jan. 15, 2012, a complaint filed by detective Kelly Lajoie states, and was not the first time Garza allegedly assaulted the victim.

Garza, 48, was booked for aggravated sexual assault of child on June 26, 2014. After posting a $150,000 surety bond, Garza was released on July 2. His prior criminal history shows a DWI in 1985 and an assault causes bodily injury/family violence charge in 2000.

Sexual assault of a child is a second-degree felony punishable by 2-20 years imprisonment and an optional $10k fine.

Sex Offender’s Duty to Register Life/Annually

In 1993, Donnie Ray Briley, now 53, was sentenced to 10 years probation for the sexual assault of a 16-year-old female. Due to his status as a sex offender, Briley is required by law to register with local law enforcement annually and maintain an annually renewed driver license or ID.

On April 22, the TxDPS filed on Briley for allowing his driver license to expire in February without renewing it, and for failing to notify authorities of his intent to stay at a residence in Christoval for more than seven days.

Briley was booked into the county jail on May 29 for failing to register and was released the same day on a $5,000 surety bond. His criminal history predates the sexual assault and includes a theft charge in 1988 and a capias violation in 1982.

Failure to register as a sex offender is a third-degree felony punishable by 2-10 years imprisonment and an optional $10k fine.