SAN ANTONIO — A 62-year-old Bexar County man has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a young girl over a period of a few years, according to local authorities, and two men jailed elsewhere in Texas could be charged for similar crimes in unrelated cases.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said an 8-year-old made an outcry against Patrick Carey, alleging he had abused her since she was about 5 years old. Carey later admitted to the abuse when interrogated by investigators, Salazar said.
He's now jailed on a felony charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child, and his bond set at $115,000.
Other suspects could be brought back to Bexar County
Two other men, 34-year-old Ronnie Joel Saldana and 47-year-old Randy Castillo, are behind bars in Kerr County and Harris County, respectively, for unrelated crimes. But Salazar said they were recently matched with previous sex assault cases via a DNA database, and could be brought back to Bexar County to face punishment.
Saldana's alleged crime goes back a decade. Salazar said he is accused of assaulting a then-15-year-old girl in August of 2013 after meeting her online and bringing her to his residence.
The victim reported the incident the next day, and provided DNA evidence.
"We are going to (keep) him accountable for this attack on this young lady from 2013," Salazar said, adding a warrant for Saldana's arrest has been filed.
Castillo, meanwhile, is accused of breaking into a home last summer and threatening a teen girl to come with him after the family returned to their residence. She was able to evade him, Salazar said, and he escaped out a window.
Investigators believe the girl met Castillo online, according to the sheriff. She was also able to provide DNA evidence from the 2022 confrontation.
The timelines for when both Bexar County may be able to bring Saldana and Castillo back to the San Antonio area is uncertain. Both face charges of sexual assault of a child.
After these cases, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office is encouraging families to sign up for an educational course.
“Saldana, Castillo and Carey; what they prey upon is the children’s trust in them,” said Salazar. “So, we do a presentation called 'Lures and Lies' with Ransomed Life. We are educating parents, teachers and the children themselves on how to protect themselves against predators and human traffickers. Get yourself scheduled for this joint presentation by emailing us at StopHumanTrafficking@Bexar.Org. It’s definitely scary information we are giving you because, truth be told, sex trafficking crimes and crimes against children don’t always look like what you think they look like.”
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