A Georgetown, Texas police officer and his wife are facing felony charges for allegedly recording sex with an underage girl, a local NBC affiliate reported.
Arrest warrants for Samuel and Ashley Tejeda were issued Feb. 2, and the couple were each charged with two counts of sexual performance by a child, KXAN reported. The arrest affidavits obtained by the outlet reveal a 17-year-old girl told police that she had sex on several occasions with 28-year-old Samuel Tejeda. An attorney not involved in the investigation told the affiliate that the age of consent in Texas is 17. (RELATED: Philadelphia Police Officer Charged With Sexually Assaulting A Minor)
“If a child engages in this activity, and she is younger than 17, then that is what’s known as statutory rape,” Defense Attorney Charlie Baird told KXAN.
But the Tejeda’s charges are related to sexual performance of a child, according to the outlet.
Officer Samuel Tejeda and his wife, Ashley Tejeda, turned themselves in this morning. Here are their mugshots. pic.twitter.com/Ijc1nywTJT
— KVUE News (@KVUE) February 3, 2021
“If you are making a movie, a video or something of that nature, then that is what’s known as sexual performance. The age threshold for that to be legal in Texas is 18,” Baird continued.
The affidavit obtained by KXAN stated that Ashley Tejeda, in an interview with a Texas Ranger investigating the case, admitted to a sexual relationship with the girl and her husband. She then said she had recorded one of the sexual acts on her phone, but “deleted the content of the video from her phone “on the day that Samuel was informed of pending criminal action against him,” KXAN reported. Investigators also found an “intentionally” damaged computer hard drive during a search of the couple’s home.
The alleged crime was committed while Tejeda was off duty, according to KXAN.
Baird told KXAN he believes there’s a strong case against the Tejeda’s, given Samuel Tejeda’s status as a police officer.
“I think this is especially damning against them, because the individual was in fact a law enforcement officer,” Baird told KXAN. “That makes it more difficult from a criminal defense standpoint.”