GEORGETOWN, Texas — A 19-year-old Georgetown woman is suing a former supervisor at the Williamson County Juvenile Justice Center for alleged sexual assaults she said she experienced while she was a minor inmate.
According to a lawsuit filed on Jan. 24, the woman said from April 2022 to July 2022, she was the victim of repeated sexual assaults and unwanted sexual advances from Daniel Obaldo Perez.
On one occasion, the woman said Perez made lewd remarks to her, exposed his privates and forced her to touch him inappropriately. Another time, she said she was forced to change in a room with no privacy while Perez was present and watching her. She said he told her to take off her clothes and bend over in front of him, so that he could sexually gratify himself.
During the third incident, the woman said she was escorted to an animal farm located behind the juvenile justice center, where she said she was instructed to position herself outside the view of the cameras. She said Perez then touched her inappropriately and forced her to touch him inappropriately as well.
According to the lawsuit, over the course of the four months that the woman said the assaults occurred, she was in a "constant state of anxiety and fear" because of Perez's alleged actions.
The lawsuit also states that the plaintiff knew of at least one other person at the juvenile justice center who allegedly experienced similar assaults by Perez.
The lawsuit goes on to state that a staffing shortage allowed Perez to be able to commit these alleged acts.
"Williamson County had a shortage of competent, well trained and/or appropriately supervised personnel to supervise the juvenile inmates at the Williamson County Juvenile Justice Center," the lawsuit states. "The failure of Williamson County to maintain sufficient staff levels created an environment that allowed Daniel Perez to not only sexually assault [the victim] but other juveniles at the facility as well."
The lawsuit states that Perez has been criminally charged in connection with the sexual assault of the plaintiff and at least one other known minor.
Williamson County Jail records show Perez was arrested in July 2022 and charged with having sexual contact or intercourse with a person at a juvenile facility in May 2022. He posted bond and was released a day after his arrest. In November 2022, Perez was arrested again and charged with sexual assault of a child in July 2022. Again, he posted bond and was released the day after his arrest.
Perez has not yet gone to trial for either charge.
Williamson County confirmed to KVUE that Perez has not be employed by the County since July 2022.
The plaintiff is suing Perez for $1 million.