MERCEDES – A Hidalgo County court sentenced Miles Pena, 36, of Mercedes, Texas, to 35 years behind bars after he entered a plea of guilty to one count of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and one count of Assault against a Family Member.

On May 24, 2020, the Weslaco Police Department was notified that an eight year-old female made an outcry of sexual abuse against the defendant. The child was interviewed by a forensic interviewer and underwent a sexual assault examination. During each of these, the child made an outcry that she had been sexually assaulted by Miles Pena on numerous occasions.

On Friday, April 26, 2024, Pena was sentenced by the court to 35 years to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and 10 years to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for the offense of Assault against a Family Member. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently by 92^nd District Court Judge Luis Singleterry.

“It is a sad day in Hidalgo County whenever a child is harmed by a sexual predator,” said Hidalgo County District Attorney Toribio “Terry” Palacios. “The District Attorney’s Office and the law enforcement community will continue to work relentlessly to bring sex offenders to justice.”

The charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the Weslaco Police Department, the Hidalgo and Starr County Children’s Advocacy Center, Doctor’s Hospital at Renaissance Safe Haven, and the Weslaco DPS Criminal Laboratory. 

Chief Assistant Criminal District Attorney of Major Crimes Hope Palacios prosecuted the case.