SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County deputies say they arrested two suspects who allegedly trafficked a teen from Houston to San Antonio and sexually assaulted her.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said 18-year-old Carolin Mitchell and 35-year-old Rondell Lee Peterson met the 15-year-old victim in Houston and "brought her to San Antonio against her will," allegedly using an "AK-style weapon" in the process. After Peterson sexually assaulted the victim, she was dumped in Schertz and abandoned before she called 911.
Salazar called the case a "heartbreaking" one, and indicative of a major problem that persists in Texas.
"We work hard. We teach the public. This is not a third world problem—this is happening here on our streets," he said. "We have to prepare our kids. This young lady was involved in living a high-risk like, (which made it) so much easier to be victimized."
Officials said the trio had met in Houston before after establishing contact over a social media app. At the Alamo Heights residence where Mitchell and Peterson were arrested, Salazar said, a "large amount of cocaine" was also found.
"She's (the victim) way too young," he said. "Parents must be involved in every aspect of their kids' lives."