Man arrested after 13-year-old confides sexual abuse to teacher

TYLER — A man was arrested in Tyler on Wednesday after a 13-year-old girl told her teacher that a family member was sexually abusing her. According to the arrest affidavit from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, on Monday, the sheriff’s office was contacted by a CPS investigator who received a report about a 13-year-old girl who told her teacher that she was being sexually abused by a family member. Officials said on Tuesday, forensic interviews by detectives were conducted at the Smith County Texas Child Advocacy Center with the 13-year-old girl and her sister. “During the forensic interview with one girl, she disclosed that Arnulfo Ramierz-Salas, had been sexually abusing her since she was seven years old,” the affidavit said. “She remembers being alone in her bedroom in Tyler when Salas walked in and told her to ‘hush’, pulled up her shirt and began touching her underneath her clothing.”

The 13-year-old victim said the last time she remembers Salas sexually assaulting her was one weekend in December 2024, according to the affidavit. “She was in her bedroom working on homework one day when Salas came in to her bedroom and told her to touch him,” the document said. “Salas forced her hand to touch him.”

On the same day as the two other interviews, officials said detectives interviewed an older sister that on occasion, Salas inappropriately touched her over the years from age 10 until she became an adult, but she was able to prevent Salas from touching her in private areas before he could complete the act by pushing away.

Salas was arrested on Wednesday for continuous child sex abuse of a victim under 14 and was booked into the Smith County Jail.