Lubbock man sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing boys at children's home
A 34 year old man was sentenced to life in prison after admitting to sexually abusing two boys while he was a mentor at the Children's Home of Lubbock.
Steven Rodriguez, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since his Dec. 2, 2022 arrest, appeared in the 137th District Court and pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated sexual assault of a child, which carries a punishment of five years to life in prison.
He was initially charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact. He also faced a separate indictment charging him with two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact.
As part of his plea deal, the remaining counts against him will be dismissed.
He will have to serve 30 years of his sentence before he is eligible for parole and will have to register as a sex offender for life.
Rodriguez accepted the maximum sentence after learning prosecutors planned to refile the case against him as continuous sexual abuse of a child, which carries a punishment of 25 years to life in prison without parole. A trial date was tentatively set for January.
The case against Rodriguez stems from a Lubbock police investigation that began in October 2022, when Child Protective Services workers reported they believed Rodriguez sexually abused a boy at the Children's Home of Lubbock.
The Children's Home of Lubbock takes in children pulled from their families because of suspected neglect or abuse. The children are under the conservatorship of the Texas Department of Family Protective Services while the courts determine whether to terminate their parents' rights.
The children's home offered a mentor program that provided children with an adult volunteer who would spend time with the children outside of the home.
To be a mentor, applicants must provide five personal references, go through a criminal records check by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, a personal interview is scheduled and conducted with a Unit Director.
In December 2020, Rodriguez became a mentor to three boys at the children's home, according to court documents.
Two of the boys became his victims, officials said.
"It was during those times when he was allowed to (take them out of the Children's Home) that he would then sexually abuse them," said prosecutor Cassie Graham. "He was put in a position of trust and power over young, vulnerable victims of our community -- specifically little boys at the Children's Home of Lubbock -- and he used that position of power over a course of almost two years to victimize and perpetrate sexual abuse on the most vulnerable victims in our community."
One of the boys, who was 10 at the time of the abuse, made an outcry to CPS workers in October 2022 that Rodriguez sexually abused him twice two months before.
Prosecutors obtained an indictment against him in Dec. 13, 2022, charging him with two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact.
During an interview with police investigators, Rodriguez confessed to abusing the boy. He also admitted to raping another boy, a 9-year-old, between October and November 2021.
He also admitted to "concerning" behavior regarding other children, Graham said.
His confession resulted in a five-count indictment grand jurors returned in February.
Rodriguez's attorney, Jesse Mendez, declined to comment after the plea hearing.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Steven Rodriguez sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing boys
