Police arrested a Taylor man last December on charges he molested a Rockdale girl who was later found bludgeoned to death beneath a bridge in eastern Williamson County.

Prosecutors eventually dropped the felony charge of indecency with a child against Bennie Paul Rangel, 18, after determining he was not too old to have consensual sexual contact with 15-year-old Sonya Wallace, said John Bradley, first assistant Williamson County district attorney.

A motorist found Wallace's body beneath a bridge on County Road 405 near FM 619 on March 14. Investigators have not said how long they believe Wallace had been dead before being found. Her death has been ruled a homicide from blunt trauma to the head.

Rangel was in jail at the time of Wallace's death, jail records show.

After dropping the indecency charge, prosecutors charged Rangel with harboring Wallace as a runaway child, a Class A misdemeanor to which Rangel pleaded no contest in January. In the plea bargain, Rangel also was convicted of two unrelated misdemeanor charges of assault and evading arrest, according to court documents. Rangel was sentenced to six months in county jail and has been in jail since his Dec. 16 arrest.

Taylor police arrested Rangel and Jay Martinez, 19, after receiving a complaint that the men were having sex with Wallace and another underage girl, according to Taylor Police Chief Fred Stansbury. Stansbury said he did not know who filed the complaint.

Sheriff's Capt. Linda Bunte would not say whether Rangel or Martinez was suspected of involvement in Wallace's disappearance or death.

After spending three months in jail, Martinez reached a plea bargain with prosecutors and confessed to a second-degree felony of sexually assaulting the other minor girl. Martinez was sentenced to five years' deferred adjudication and released from the Williamson County Jail on Feb. 8, according to court records.

Wallace's mother, Linda Flores, reported her as a runaway to Rockdale police on Feb. 19, according to police reports. Rockdale detectives are unsure whether Wallace voluntarily left home or was abducted, Chief Timothy Smith has said.

A woman who answered the phone at Martinez's address listed in court documents said Martinez no longer lives there and does not have a phone.

You may contact Jason Spencer at jspencer@statesman.com or 246-0005.