Houston police officer indicted in child sexual assault case

A Houston police officer was indicted on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child younger than 14, and HPD said Pablo Diaz-Buscio has been relieved of duty. The case now moves into the Harris County court system, where the allegations will be tested against the evidence and the department’s handling of one of its own will face closer scrutiny.

Court records say the complaint began with an October 2025 report from a child under 14 who said Diaz-Buscio sexually assaulted her. The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office investigated the case, and once a grand jury returned the indictment, Diaz-Buscio turned himself in at the 497th District Court. He was issued a bond and later released.

The court filing describes the accusation in stark terms, alleging that Diaz-Buscio forced a child under 14 to come in contact with his sexual organs. The indictment is not a conviction, and the case will now proceed through the criminal courts. Diaz-Buscio’s attorney said he had been on leave, was cooperating with investigators and denied the allegation.

Diaz-Buscio had been with HPD for three years after graduating from the police academy in 2023 as part of Cadet Class 260. That background places the case squarely inside the department’s own hiring, training and supervision pipeline, raising questions about what HPD knew, when it knew it and whether any warning signs were missed before the complaint reached prosecutors.

HPD’s mission says the department works cooperatively with the public to enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear and provide a safe environment. Allegations involving a sworn officer and a child victim cut directly against that public trust, especially when the accused had access to vulnerable people while serving in uniform.

The indictment also comes amid heightened attention on Houston police accountability. In May and June 2026, HPD faced other criminal and disciplinary scrutiny, including an unauthorized-surveillance investigation and a former officer indictment tied to an alleged GPS tracker incident. For Harris County families, the latest case adds another urgent test of how the city’s largest police department screens officers, responds to complaints and protects the people it is sworn to serve.