EDINBURG – An Edinburg man was sentenced to 35 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Institutional Division for three counts of sexual abuse of a child.

An in-person jury trial was held from February 7-14, 2022 in the 206th District Court for Orlando Reyes Perez, 29, who was convicted of for sexually abusing a 7-year-old child. The jury handed down the verdict on February 14, 2022.

The Honorable Judge Rose Guerra Reyna presided over the trial. The case was prosecuted by Special Crimes Division Assistant District Attorney Marcela Saenz-Salinas; Assistant District Attorney Nicole Rodriguez and Assistant District Attorney Ricardo Hernandez; Advocate Ilda Sifuentes and Investigator Linda Greenwood; the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office; and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

“No child should live in fear or be abused.  Our office will continue the fight against sexual abuse to seek justice for victims,” said Criminal District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr. “I want to personally thank ADA Marcela Saenz-Salinas, Nicole Rodriguez and Ricardo Hernandez for their long hours of work and dedication.”

The abuse had been occurring for two years.  Perez was formally sentenced on April 22, 2022 for Count One – Sex Abuse of Child Continuous: Victim Under 14 (1^st degree felony); Count Two – Aggravated Sexual Assault of Child (1^st degree felony); and Count Three – Aggravated Sexual Assault of Child (1^st degree felony).