Houston man molested children since 2009, sentenced to 40 years
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A Houston man was sentenced to prison after he was found to be molesting several children since 2009.
32-year-old Alvaro Jeronimo Juarez was sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting four girls, says Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced. He was convicted for the sexual assault of a child after court records say he raped a 5-year-old many times beginning in 2009.
Three other victims came and testified Juarez raped them as well, Ogg says. He began assaulting girls when they were 5 and would continue doing so until they were around 10, officials said.
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"Every adult in a child’s life has to stay vigilant because predators like this man lie, mislead and trick whomever they can in order to get close to children," Ogg said. "This man stole the childhood from these girls, and the law rightfully puts him in prison without the chance of parole to serve every day of a 40-year sentence."
The Harris County DA’s Office reports Juarez was a friend and occasional housemate to a large extended family. He would take advantage of the trust placed in him they said and spent years grooming, assaulting, and intimidating the children.
Alvaro Jeronimo Juarez (Photo courtesy of Harris County District Attorney's Office)
The first victim came forward in 2018, authorities say, and the other victims broke their silence on what happened to them.
"He had special ways to groom the children, like doling out their favorite snacks," Assistant District Attorneys Dana Nazarova said. "And then he had ways to scare them, like using a phony badge."
Nazarova and Alyson Almaguer, who are both chief prosecutors, handled the case. The Houston Police Department conducted the investigation.
"During the punishment phase, we talked about how each and every person in the whole family will suffer from this, and each child will be affected by this for the rest of their lives," Nazarova said. "We thank the jury for making the right decision."