A 53-year-old man is facing one of the most serious charges under Texas law after Houston police accused him of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl last fall.
According to court records, Joel Vasquez Galdamez is charged with super aggravated sexual assault of a child. Investigators allege the assault happened last October.
The child’s mother told police she left her daughter and young son at a friend’s home while she went to work. She said she believed the home was a safer place for her children, because she was having an argument with her boyfriend at the time.
Court documents state the suspect is the friend’s husband. Police say the child later told her mother, “the old man touched me,” prompting an investigation.
Galdamez, a Honduran national who authorities say was previously deported and was in the country illegally, was arrested and booked into jail last week, according to the Houston Police Department.
Under Texas law, super aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony involving especially severe circumstances, including cases where the victim is younger than 6.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison and can result in life behind bars, with limited eligibility for parole.
Galdamez was initially held on a $150,000 bond, which was later reduced to $100,000. Even if he posts bond, officials say he would not be released because an immigration hold has been placed on him, allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take custody of him.
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