Miguel Navarrete, 63, was booked in Montgomery County on a second-degree felony charge.
NEW CANEY, Texas — A 63-year-old man was arrested after a father returned home early from work and found him inside his teenage daughter’s bedroom, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said.
Miguel Navarrete was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on a charge of sexual assault of a child, a second-degree felony. Deputies said the April 21 case began as a disturbance at a home in the 21400 block of Dallas Street in New Caney, east of Houston. The sheriff’s Special Victims Unit is now handling the investigation, including whether there may be other victims.
Deputies with the sheriff’s East Patrol division were sent to the home at about 4:45 p.m. after a report of a disturbance involving Navarrete and the homeowner. Investigators said the homeowner had come home from work early and noticed an unfamiliar vehicle in the driveway. After entering the house, he went to his daughter’s bedroom and found Navarrete inside with the girl, officials said. Deputies detained Navarrete at the scene and contacted special victims detectives. Lt. Paul Hahs said investigators separated the people involved and began taking statements about what happened before the father arrived.
Investigators said Navarrete had met the juvenile victim at a church in the Houston area before going to the New Caney home. Hahs said the girl told investigators there had been sexual contact between her and Navarrete. “It turns out they had met at church and she had invited him to the house,” Hahs said. “And he waited till the father was not at home and then came over and pursued from there.” Authorities have not released the girl’s name because she is a juvenile. The sheriff’s office also has not released the name of the church or said how long Navarrete and the girl had known each other before the April 21 incident.
The sheriff’s office said Navarrete went to the home for the purpose of having a sexual relationship with the victim. Local reports differed on some details of the bedroom scene, but the sheriff’s office described the victim as a teenage juvenile and said the case involved a child sexual assault allegation. Officials have not said whether detectives seized phones, messages, vehicle records or other evidence from the home. They also have not said whether Navarrete knew the victim’s family, had been to the home before or had prior contact with law enforcement involving minors.
Sexual assault of a child is a second-degree felony under Texas law. The charge filed against Navarrete is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The case now moves through the Montgomery County criminal justice system, where prosecutors may review reports, witness statements and evidence gathered by detectives. It was not immediately clear from public reports whether Navarrete had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. No additional charges had been announced in the first public reports, but investigators said they were checking whether there may be more victims connected to Navarrete.
The home is on Dallas Street near Liberty Street, a residential area of New Caney north of the Houston metro area. The sheriff’s office said the case began with what responding deputies found to be an active disturbance, not a planned arrest operation. Hahs said detectives are trying to determine whether the April 21 case is isolated or part of a wider pattern. “There could be more victims,” Hahs said. The sheriff’s office asked anyone with information about Navarrete or possible additional victims to contact investigators through its main office.
Navarrete was taken to the Montgomery County Jail after deputies detained him. The Special Victims Unit remained involved as investigators reviewed statements and other evidence. The next public developments are expected through court filings, bond information or an updated statement from the sheriff’s office.
Author note: Last updated April 30, 2026.