School Counselor on the Run Since 2015 After Alleged Sexual Indecency with 11-Year-Old Is Arrested in Mexico
Iris Iliana Rodriguez is facing four charges, including unlawful restraint of a minor and sexual contact with a minor, according to online court records
A Texas counselor who was on the run for nearly a decade after allegedly sexually exploiting a minor has been arrested in the Mexican state of Jalisco, according to authorities.
Iris Iliana Rodriguez, 34, was arrested in December after going on the run in 2015 when Texas authorities charged her that year with sexual indecency with a child, unlawful restraint and harassment, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced on Friday.
Rodriguez was allegedly in an “inappropriate relationship” with an 11-year-old girl while she was working as a counselor in the city of Laredo, Texas, DPS said in a bulletin for the state’s 10 Most Wanted list.
Following the initial contact with the victim, Rodriguez later worked at the Border Region Behavioral Health Center in Laredo as a Child, Adolescent and Parent Services Counselor, which granted her access to the victim at school “under the pretext of offering guidance and support for the child,” the bulletin said.
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Rodriguez is currently facing four charges, including unlawful restraint of a child under 17 and sexual contact with a minor, according to online court records.
No further information was available regarding the circumstances surrounding her arrest in Mexico. In 2015, KLTV reported that she had connections in that country.
Court filings do not indicate if she has entered a plea. A lawyer listed in court records did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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