Man accused of raping teen and getting $1 bond due to mistake is back in Harris County jail

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A man who authorities say drugged and raped a teenager and was later released from jail because of a mistake made by prosecutors is now back in custody.

Luis Sanchez pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child on Thursday. Documents state the crime occurred in April 2022. He agreed to 15 years in prison, according to a spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

In September, even though his case was still active, he was released from jail because prosecutors missed the deadline to obtain an indictment.

The DA's office said they missed the deadline by two days. Because of that error, they were legally required to give Sanchez a bond he could afford. He is indigent and was given a $1 personal recognizance bond consequently.

Last month, ABC13 spoke with the victim's mother, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her daughter's identity.

"I want to know what kind of safeguards are in place to ensure accountability for a job poorly done and to ensure this type of failure doesn't happen again," she said.

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