Joshua Garcia was arrested and fired this week, authorities in South Texas said. A grand jury had indicted him on multiple charges.
SAN ANTONIO — Officials with the Del Rio Police Department say a detective was indicted and subsequently fired from the agency following a monthslong investigation centered on an accusation that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a girl under 17 years old.
That allegation was made on April 22, sparking the internal investigation while Joshua Garcia was placed on administrative leave, the department said in a Facebook post. In the months since, Texas Rangers and Del Rio PD investigators “conducted numerous interviews, collected evidence and analyzed digital data,” at which point explicit images of the girl were allegedly found on Garcia’s personal cell phone.
A Val Verde County grand jury indicted Garcia on several charges, including sexual assault of a child, possession of child pornography possession of lewd material involving a child and official oppression, the department’s post said. He was arrested Monday, following the indictment.
“The Del Rio Police Department maintains a zero-tolerance policy for employee misconduct and remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency, accountability and public trust,” Del Rio PD wrote in the Facebook post.