TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — A deputy with the Travis County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) was booked in jail and released on bond after allegedly grooming and sexually abusing a boy for several years.
Senior Deputy Kyle Sass, 39, was charged with indecency with a child, a second-degree felony. He was booked into jail Wednesday afternoon and released about 30 minutes later, according to the sheriff's office.
According to the arrest warrant obtained by KVUE, on Oct. 2, the TCSO was contacted by an outcry witness who informed the agency of unlawful sexual contact between her son and Sass. The outcry witness said that the contact occurred when her son was in middle school until they were approximately 16.
The child victim, who is now an adult, was interviewed by investigators on Oct. 4. In the interview, investigators learned that the victim was adopted from another country and his parents were acquaintances with Sass. According to the arrest warrant, the boy's parents encouraged Sass to take an active role as a "father figure" in their son's life. The relationship between Sass and the victim started when the victim was five years old and continued through high school until he was approximately 17.
*Note: This story contains descriptions of sexual acts that may not be appropriate for all readers.*
When the victim was in middle school, the warrant states that he became afraid to sleep alone. At first, one of the victim's parents would get in bed with him until he fell asleep, but once the victim became comfortable with Sass, Sass began getting into bed with him.
The warrant states that when the victim was in middle school, he began staying at Sass's apartment. Sass would watch while the victim showered "to ensure he used soap and washed his hair." The monitoring eventually escalated to Sass showering with the victim, according to the warrant. The pair showered together often for almost a year, during which Sass occasionally touched the victim's private area and then laughed it off.
The victim stated that he never mentioned showering with Sass to his parents because Sass "did not make it seem like a big deal," according to the warrant.
When the victim was a freshman in high school, the warrant details an incident when Sass allegedly touched the victim inappropriately, as well as multiple instances when Sass and the victim masturbated in the same room, at the same time. The victim told investigators that those incidents happened twice a week for four to six months when he was between the ages of 14 and 16.
The victim also stated that when he would stay with Sass at his apartment, he would sleep in Sass's bed every time. While in bed, Sass would allegedly throw his leg over the victim's body and the victim would scoot away, but Sass would do it again. Eventually, the victim began sleeping on the couch in Sass's living room, and "everything stopped," according to the arrest warrant.
On Oct. 5, investigators spoke with the outcry witness, one of the victim's parents. She said Sass acted as a father figure in her son's life, would sleep in her son's room frequently and went on family trips with herself and her son regularly. She also said that her son was able to live with Sass for nearly a year so that he could participate in an academic program that was not offered at his high school.
According to the arrest warrant, the boy's mother became suspicious when she was going to pick her son up from Sass's home. Her son stated, "We're just getting out of the shower," and when she asked him to clarify if they were in the shower together, her son said they were. The parent "found this highly unusual," according to the warrant, and had her son move back to her home. The parent asked her son multiple times if anything inappropriate had occurred, but her son refused to discuss it. According to the warrant, the victim cut off contact with Sass when he was approximately 17.
KVUE reached out to Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who released the following statement regarding Sass:
"I'm deeply saddened that a Travis County Sheriff's Office deputy is suspected of such a crime. Our agency is taking the matter seriously and the investigation is active and ongoing."
According to Travis County employment data, Sass has been with the TCSO since 2006.