2 lawmen accused of using authority for sex acts

Jacinto City Police Capt. Thomas Harmon DeMont, 49, was arrested Wednesday after he was charged with indecency with a child. Jacinto City Police Capt. Thomas Harmon DeMont, 49, was arrested Wednesday after he was charged with indecency with a child. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 2 lawmen accused of using authority for sex acts 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A Jacinto City police captain and a former Brazoria County sheriff's deputy both used their authority as law enforcement officers to commit sexual assaults, officials said.

Capt. Thomas Harmon DeMont, 49, was arrested Wednesday after he was charged with indecency with a child.

On Tuesday, ex-sheriff's deputy Joe Garcia, 37, surrendered at the Brazoria County Jail after a grand jury there indicted him on sexual assault and official oppression charges.

DeMont, now on administrative leave from the department, is accused of exposing himself in April to a 13-year-old girl, according to the criminal complaint filed against him.

The girl had been having problems with a boy at her school, and her mother had sought help from a police officer she knew only as "Sgt. Tom" of the Jacinto City Police Department.

On April 11, DeMont met with the girl at her uncle's apartment. Her mother remained outside.

The teenager later told investigators DeMont gave her a blue pill that he claimed would help her relax.

"She took the pill and began to feel dizzy and sleepy," according to the criminal complaint.

DeMont then exposed himself to the girl and asked her to commit a sex act, the complaint stated. The girl ran outside.

She later told investigators DeMont threatened to kill her family if she reported what happened, the complaint stated. He also sent the girl several text messages telling her that her family members were now in danger.

Houston police juvenile sex crimes detectives contacted Jacinto City police and asked if a "Sgt. Tom" worked there.

DeMont, the officer they talked to, told them there was no "Sgt. Tom' on the rolls. But, the HPD detectives checked the girl's cellphone records and confirmed he sent her several text messages after the alleged assault. She also identified DeMont in a photo lineup, according to the criminal complaint.

DeMont, a Missouri City resident, remains in custody at the Fort Bend County Jail with bail set at $50,000, officials said.

Garcia, the since-fired Brazoria County deputy, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman he met at the scene of a March 30 vehicle accident, Brazoria sheriff's officials said.

They said Garcia volunteered to drive the 24-year-old woman to her friend's home in Brazoria. Sheriff's officials said he assaulted her soon after they pulled up to the house.

A sheriff's deputies investigation corroborated the woman's account of the incident. Garcia was fired April 10.

On Monday, Garcia surrendered after a Brazoria County grand jury indicted him on charges of sexual assault and official oppression.

He was released from the Brazoria County Jail after posting $50,000 bail.

mike.glenn@chron.com