HOUSTON – A Harris County Precinct 4 deputy has been fired and charged after he was accused of the attempted sex assault of a teen runaway, authorities say.
Aaron Mayes, 33, is charged with online solicitation of a minor, witness tampering and attempted sexual assault of a child.
Court documents said the girl’s mother contacted Pct. 4 saying she had concerns about an inappropriate relationship between Mayes and her daughter. It started when the mother reported her daughter as a runaway back in March. The girl returned but said Mayes and another deputy still went to their home.
The mother says Mayes seemed to take an interest in her daughter but it was “welcomed” and she thought it was “healthy.”
In late May, court documents said a family member told the mother about the relationship.
The 16-year-old showed her mother an Instagram conversation from an account believed to be Mayes in which he sent the girl sexually explicit photos. In one of the alleged messages, Mayes is accused of offering the girl $80 cash for a sex act.
When interviewed, the girl told detectives he would hold her hand, touch her shoulder and arm. She said she felt a complete unprofessional demeanor when confronted by him for any reason.
When asked, Mayes initially denied knowing the mother and daughter but then said he was mentoring the girl.
According to court documents, after investigators interviewed Mayes and told him to stay away from the girl, the mother claimed he went to their apartment to try to get the girl's phone.
Investigators said they also found other conversations indicating Mayes was willing to pay other women for sexual favors. Investigators said they also found pictures and videos of Mayes having sex with multiple women while wearing his uniform.
Court documents said, “some of these videos featured Defendant Aaron Mayes’ face and wearing his Harris County Constable Precinct Four patrolman’s uniform, along with a patrol radio tuned to the HCC04 primary dispatch channel playing in the background.”
“You can imagine. Somebody coming from a background of a number of years in the military honorably served. He was with Precinct 4 a short period of time as a police officer and now he’s on the other end of it. Based on everything that I’ve seen and my interactions with Precinct 4, I don’t think his case was handled properly,” said Defense Attorney Brian Roberts.
According to Roberts, Mayes served in the Army for 12 years and has four children under the age of 17.
Roberts claimed investigators took Mayes’ personal cell phone unlawfully and requested the judge order it to be returned.
This is a developing story.
