ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A 20-year-old from Odessa was arrested earlier this month after investigators said an alleged improper relationship with a teen led to a pregnancy. Armando Leyva, 20, has been charged with Sexual Assault of a Child, a second-degree felony. 

According to an Ector County Sheriff’s Office report, on September 15, investigators received a Child Protective Services intake regarding a possible sexual assault. The alleged victim in question, a 15-year-old, told a forensic interviewer that she attended a Quinceanera in January, when she was 14, and met Leyva. After the party, the teen said she had a sexual encounter with Leyva, which resulted in pregnancy. 

The 15-year-old gave birth in September, just days before the report was filed, and investigators asked Leyva to come to the Sheriff’s Office to give a statement and provide a DNA sample for comparison with the infant. During questioning, Leyva reportedly admitted to having sex with the teen, which prompted investigators to request a warrant for his arrest. In Texas, the legal age of consent is 17, which means anyone over the age of 18 engaging in a sexual relationship with person 16 or younger, can be charged under statutory rape laws: those charges include Indecency With a Child, Sexual Assault of a Child, or Aggravated Assault of a Child. 

Leyva was taken into custody on November 5 and remained in the Ector County Law Enforcement Center as of Tuesday on a $50,000 bond. If convicted, Leyva may face a minimum of two years, up to 20 years in prison, and fines of up to $10,000.