West Texas Man Sentenced To 50 Years For Child Pornography

A man in Abilene has received a 50-year prison sentence for recording and sending a sexually explicit video of a 14-year-old, who was under his supervision at the time.

He Filmed Explicit Videos of the Teen

27-year-old Kaleb Marc Rodriguez from Abilene was watching three young children on September 22, 2024, after a family medical emergency took the mother away for the day.

The mother also left her cell phone with Rodriguez as he watched over the apartment and the children in her absence.

Five months later, on February 17, 2025, the mother was scrolling through her phone and noticed that Rodriguez was still logged in on the Gmail account. Then, she discovered that he had emailed himself a sexually explicit video that he filmed on the cell phone of her 14-year-old daughter.

The video was filmed the day she left her children in his care to tend to the family emergency.

The Proof was In The Video

The mother immediately called 911 to report the assault of her child. Authorities were able to locate the 19-second video which held proof that it was Rodriguez who filmed it. In the video, a hand is seen bearing a unique tattoo matching the one on Rodriguez's hand.

When Rodriguez was interviewed, he stated that he would "probably believe" the allegations that he filmed the explicit video of the 14-year-old because he was on drugs at the time.

The Arrest and Sentencing of Kaleb Marc Rodriguez

In January 2026, Rodriguez was indicted by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and the transportation of child pornography since he emailed himself the video.

Finally, on July 22, 2026, Rodriguez was sentenced to 600 months (50 years) in federal prison.

"We are grateful," said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard, "for the dedicated efforts of the Abilene Police Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office in ensuring that this offender will no longer pose a threat to vulnerable children."

Read the full release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas.