San Antonio Express-News

Ex-deputy gets 3 years in child sex case

- By Elizabeth Zavala STAFF WRITER ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2­863

A judge here sentenced a former Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy to three years in prison on charges that he exposed himself to a 15-year-old in December 2019.

Andres Ibarra, 27, entered a plea of no contest Tuesday to indecency with a child by exposure. State District Judge Michael Mery issued the sentence, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

According to reports, the 15-year-old girl told authoritie­s Ibarra followed her and offered a ride, and continued to pursue her when she refused, eventually exposing himself to her.

The victim recorded the encounter, which helped convict Ibarra, the DA’S office said.

District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales called it “incredibly disappoint­ing that someone who served as a member of law enforcemen­t would commit this type of crime, especially to a child,” the release said.

Court records indicate Ibarra no longer worked for the Sheriff ’s Office when the December 2019 incident occurred. The Sheriff’s Office investigat­ed the crime.

Authoritie­s said during the investigat­ion and throughout the process, Ibarra consistent­ly referred to his actions as an “inconvenie­nce” to the victim.

“This was more than an inconvenie­nce. This was a brazen disregard for the safety, well-being and autonomy of a child,” said Assistant District Attorney J. Hunter Morris of the DA’S Public Integrity and Cyber Crime Division. “I commend the child’s courage for speaking up and bringing this to the attention of law enforcemen­t.”

Once Ibarra is released from prison, he will have to register as a sex offender.

 ??  ?? Andres Ibarra was sentenced to three years on an indecency charge.
Andres Ibarra was sentenced to three years on an indecency charge.

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