Neighbors of La Porte man facing sexual abuse, porn charges say they noticed him around children

LA PORTE, Texas (KTRK) -- La Porte police say they've arrested 40-year-old Enrique "Ricky" Vela, after they found evidence he sexually abused multiple children, and they say he made videos of the abuse.

Investigators say it all started when they were questioning Vela for an unrelated robbery. After detectives say they searched his phone for that, they found several videos of child pornography.

ABC13 spoke with Vela's neighbors, who say they've seen him on a scooter late at night and sometimes with children, but they say they never believed he was capable of these types of disturbing sexual allegations.

"I was shocked and then very, very upset about the children, whoever he abused, or whatever happened. It's pretty bad," neighbor Rosanne Anderson said.

"That's why I was so speechless when it happened. When she told me, I was just like, 'He lives right in front of us, and I never knew he did all of that,'" neighbor Sebastian Valdez said.

SEE ORIGINAL REPORT: La Porte man faces multiple sex charges after police say they found child pornography on his phone

Court documents reveal this dates back to July of last year, when police say Vela promoted a performance including sexual conduct by a child under 14 years old.

In addition, the district attorney's office says from September 2024 to this past February, Vela also committed at least two counts of sexual abuse, including aggravated sexual assault and sexual performance of a child -- all of them under the age of 17.

Officers say he's now facing eight first-degree felony counts, charges ranging from possession of pornography to sexual performance of a child.

People who live near Vela are speculating about what they've noticed.

"My mom did tell me about something, that he usually goes to the playground that's all the way in the back of the neighborhood, with that kid or kids," Valdez added.

Investigators say if convicted of the current charges, he could face over 85 years in prison, and right now, they say they believe there could be even more victims out there.

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