Jose Miguel Zelaya-Ponce
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A former Texas 10 Most Wanted criminal has been sentenced to nearly four decades in prison for impregnating a young girl in 2024.
The man, an undocumented immigrant living in Harris County at the time of his arrest, was captured after a weeks-long investigation into a child sex abuse and smuggling of minor investigation.
Texas criminal sentenced
The latest:
Jose Miguel Zelaya-Ponce, 22, was sentenced to 38 years in prison in Harris County on Jan. 13.
He was found guilty on federal charges of continuous sexual assault of a child.
Investigation begins
The backstory:
Texas Rangers learned of Zelaya-Ponce in July 2024, when a Border Patrol tip came in about an adult woman driving a young boy and a pregnant 11-year-old in Sierra Blanca.
Once they found her and questioned her, she admitted she was in the U.S. illegally with her two sons — the boy in the car, and Zelaya-Ponce, who they learned impregnated the girl. The woman was arrested for human smuggling of a minor under the age of 18, and a warrant for Zelaya-Ponce’s arrest was issued out of Harris County.
Jose Miguel Zelaya-Ponce
Zelaya-Ponce arrested
Zelaya-Ponce was added to the most wanted list in August 2024, and was captured on Aug. 23, 2024 by Texas DPS.
After his arrest, Texas DPS says DNA testing confirmed the baby was his. They also learned the 11-year-old victim had been living with Zelaya-Ponce, and had been continuously abused sexually.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Texas Department of Public Safety.