By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A 28-year-old Del Rio man charged with possessing child pornography was released on bond following a hearing in federal court Friday morning.
Oscar Barrera Jr., 28, 183 Bundy Trail, was ordered released on a $30,000 unsecured bond into the custody of his mother, Celia “Sally” Zuniga-Barrera, following a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Collis White.
According to documents on file in the U.S. District Clerk’s Office and viewed by the 830 Times, Barrera was arrested June 17 on a warrant signed by White and filed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Clint Savino.
In his criminal complaint in the case, Savino wrote that on Dec. 3, 2020, HSI agents assigned to Del Rio received a cyber tipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in reference to a Snapchat account.
“The report indicated that the Snapchat account uploaded image(s) of child pornography. Upon investigation, HSI special agents identified Oscar Barrera Jr. as the user of the Snapchat account. Further investigation by HSI special agents confirmed Barrera Jr.’s residential address and confirmed that the images of child pornography were uploaded at the IP address listed at this residential address,” Savino wrote in his complaint.
Savino noted that on June 17, HSI special agents executed a federal residential search warrant at Barrera’s home and encountered Barrera at the residence.
“During a post-Miranda interview, Barrera admitted to possessing, receiving and distributing multiple images and videos of child pornography. Barrera admitted that child pornography images and videos were located on his cell phone, a black iPhone 11. Barrera further admitted that he received and shared images and videos of child pornography with various individuals he was friends with on the social media application ‘Telegram’ and Snapchat,” Savino wrote.
Savino in his complaint said following their interview with Barrera, special agents and an HSI computer forensic analyst “conducted a cursory search of Barrera’s black iPhone 11 and observed several images of male and female toddler and prepubescent children engaging in various sexual acts.”
At his detention hearing, Barrera, who had been in federal custody since his June 17 arrest, was represented by Del Rio attorney Sostenes Mireles. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Banister represented the government.
Shortly after the start of the hearing, Mireles called Barrera’s mother to the witness stand.
Zuniga-Barrera told the court she has been an educator for more than three decades and is currently employed as the curriculum coordinator for secondary education for the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District.
Zuniga-Barrera told the court her husband, Oscar Barrera, died of leukemia in September 2020 and spoke about how her son had helped care for his father during his illness so she could continue working.
She acknowledged that her husband’s death “had a major impact on my son’s life.”
She told the court Barrera had worked at the Roberto “Bobby” Barrera Elementary STEM Magnet School on Laughlin Air Force Base, adding he no longer works there.
Zuniga-Barrera described her son as “a homebody,” who enjoyed watching movies and playing video games online.
White told Zuniga-Barrera if he ordered her son released, she would be serving as a third-party custodian.
“This is very serious business. If he violates his conditions (of release), you would have to let me know,” White said.
“You have my word, your honor,” Zuniga-Barrera replied.
Among the further conditions of Barrera’s release, he will be confined in his home, allowed to leave it only with prior permission from a pre-trial services officer, and he may have no access of any kind to the internet, whether through a computer or a cell phone.
San Felipe Del Rio CISD administrators sent a letter to parents at the Laughlin school regarding Barrera and the investigation, but declined to release a copy of that letter to the 830 Times.
According to information released by the school district Friday, Barrera was employed by the district as a substitute teacher. He was hired in April 2015, and his last day of employment was June 4, 2021.
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