A Starr County man faces a felony charge. Deputies say he sent sexual text messages to a girl under 17.

Noel Silva Jr. is charged with online solicitation of a minor. The warrant lists it as a third-degree felony. That can mean 2 to 10 years in prison.

The charge comes from a sworn complaint and affidavit. The Starr County Sheriff's Office filed it. Investigator Ranell Rosa signed it. These are claims made by deputies. They have not been proved in court.

Texas law sets the rules for this charge. It is for a person 17 or older. That person sends a child sexual messages online or by text. The person must also mean to commit a sex crime against the child. The complaint says Silva meant to commit indecency with a child. That is a sex crime against kids.

The case started with a call on Thursday, April 30, 2026. At about 8:13 p.m., Deputy Christopher James Garza was sent out on a report. The affidavit says it was about online solicitation of a minor.

A person there told the deputy about a contact on the phone the girl was using. The contact was saved as "Noe." The person said they knew the man in the contact photo.

Rosa took over the case. He did a forensic search of the girl's phone. That means he copied the data on the phone and went through it.

He wrote that the phone data showed a man with a triangle tattoo above and below his left eye. Rosa wrote that he knew the man as Silva.

Rosa also found a string of texts between Silva and the girl. The affidavit says Silva sent her sexual messages on or about March 13, 2026.

The girl was interviewed at the Children's Advocacy Center of Starr and Hidalgo Counties. A forensic interviewer talked with her. The affidavit says she named Silva as the person she was texting.

Justice of the Peace Valerie Clarke of Precinct 4 signed the arrest warrant on July 29, 2026. The sheriff's case number is 2026-00941.

The officer's return on the warrant shows it was served on Sept. 8, 2026, at 11 a.m. Rosa signed the return. It says Silva was arrested at the Starr County Detention Center.

The court documents do not show a bond amount. They also do not list his age.

There is one gap in the dates. The complaint lists the date of the crime as on or about April 30, 2026. That is the night deputies got the call. The texts in the affidavit are dated March 13.

What happens next? In Texas, a felony case usually goes to a grand jury. The grand jury decides if there is enough to indict him. That means to formally charge him and send the case to trial.

El Tejano is not naming the girl. We are also leaving out any detail that could point to who she is.

Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.