A San Benito man is behind bars after being accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl who ran away from home.
Cameron County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 26-year-old Noel Gonzalez on Tuesday.
Investigators have charged Gonzalez with continuous sexual abuse of a child and harboring a runaway.
Court records released on Thursday show the investigation started when the girl ran away from her Benito Avenue home.
The girl’s grandmother discovered a series of text messages between the 12-year-old and Gonzalez.
Deputies tracked the girl down to Gonzalez’s home on Casey Road just outside city limits.
The girl told deputies that she started having sex with Gonzalez back in January when she was 11 years old.
Gonzalez told deputies that he had sex with the girl numerous times starting back in February.
Court records show that the girl turned 12 years old in March.
Gonzalez appeared before Cameron County Magistrate Judge Patricia Edelstein on Thursday morning where he was issued $104,000 dollars in bonds.
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