Montgomery County detectives are reviewing whether other possible victims are connected to the case.
NEW CANEY, Texas — A 63-year-old man was arrested after a father came home from work early April 21 and found him in his teenage daughter’s bedroom in a New Caney neighborhood northeast of Houston, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies booked Miguel Navarrete into the Montgomery County Jail on a charge of sexual assault of a child, a second-degree felony. The sheriff’s Special Victims Unit is handling the case, including a review of whether other possible victims may be connected to Navarrete. Authorities have not released the girl’s name because she is a juvenile, and they have not identified the church where investigators say Navarrete first met her.
Deputies with the sheriff’s East Patrol division were sent about 4:45 p.m. April 21 to the 21400 block of Dallas Street after a disturbance was reported at the home. Investigators said the homeowner had returned from work earlier than expected and saw an unfamiliar vehicle in the driveway. After going inside, he went to his daughter’s bedroom and found Navarrete in the room with her, officials said. Deputies detained Navarrete at the scene and contacted special victims detectives. Lt. Paul Hahs said investigators separated the people involved and began taking statements. “When they separated them, the daughter admitted that there had been some sexual contact between the two,” Hahs said.
The sheriff’s office said investigators learned Navarrete had met the juvenile victim at a church in Houston before going to the New Caney home. Officials said he went to the house for the purpose of having a sexual relationship with the girl. Hahs said Navarrete waited until the father was not home before going there. The agency has not said how long Navarrete and the girl had known each other, whether he knew the family or whether he had been to the home before. Officials also have not said whether detectives seized phones, messages, vehicle records or other evidence from the house. Local reports differed on some details of what the father saw inside the bedroom, but the sheriff’s office described the case as a child sexual assault allegation involving a teenage juvenile.
The home is on Dallas Street near Liberty Street in a residential part of New Caney, a community in Montgomery County north of the Houston area. The sheriff’s office said the case began as an active disturbance, not as a planned arrest operation. The response then shifted after deputies spoke with the homeowner and the juvenile and called in detectives trained to handle crimes involving children. The agency has not released the girl’s age in its public statement, though some local reports identified her as 16. Because the case involves a juvenile, authorities have withheld identifying information about the victim and have not described in detail what she told investigators beyond the allegation of sexual contact.
Under Texas law, a second-degree felony can carry a prison term of two to 20 years and a fine of up to $10,000 if a person is convicted. The charge against Navarrete is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Court records and public reports reviewed after the arrest indicated the case would move through the Montgomery County criminal justice system as prosecutors review reports, statements and evidence collected by detectives. It was not immediately clear from public reports whether Navarrete had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. No additional charges had been announced in the first public reports, but investigators said they were checking whether more victims may exist.
Public accounts of the case drew attention in Montgomery County because of the way the investigation began, with a father arriving home and finding a man in a private room of the house. Deputies have not described any physical confrontation beyond saying they found an active disturbance involving Navarrete and the homeowner when they arrived. Navarrete was taken from the scene to the Montgomery County Jail after deputies detained him. The sheriff’s office later released his name, age and booking charge. Hahs said detectives were still trying to determine whether the April 21 allegation was isolated. “There could be more victims,” he said.
The Special Victims Unit remained involved as investigators reviewed statements and other evidence. The next public developments are expected through court filings, bond records, prosecutor action or another update from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Author note: Last updated April 30, 2026.