Teen sentenced to 50 years for sexual assault of minor in Brazos County Detention Center
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – One inmate involved in the brutal sexual assault of another inmate at the Brazos County Detention Center in Bryan was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Fidel Sanchez, 19, was charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault with a deadly weapon, and sexual coercion in October of 2022. Charging documents say he and two other inmates attacked a 17-year-old held in the detention center on Oct. 9, 2022. The victim was held on misdemeanor charges that were eventually dropped, according to court documents.
In a release following the sentencing, the Brazos County District Attorney’s office said Sanchez and the other inmates, all 17 at the time, engaged in the prolonged physical and psychological torment of the victim.
The two other inmates, Devin Newton and Tavares Lyles, have also been charged in the assault.
After an investigation of the assaults, Brazos County admitted to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) that no jailer entered the area in which the assaults occurred for over five hours. A lawsuit resulted in the county paying $500,000 plus post-judgment interest to the victim.
Sanchez’s trial started on Jan. 29, 2024. After the jury heard the victim’s testimony, Sanchez agreed to the 50 year sentence and waived an appeal.
KBTX reached out to the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office for an update on the internal investigation that resulted from the assault.
