ECTOR COUNTY, TX — A 42-year-old man is in custody after authorities say he held his daughter captive for nearly a year, subjecting her to neglect and repeated sexual abuse.
According to the Ector County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to a home in the 8000 block of West 16th Street on April 9 after a teenage girl called 911, claiming she was being held against her will by her father, Thomas Benjamin Lozano, 42.
When deputies arrived, they found the girl locked inside the home and had to break a window to get her out. Investigators said she appeared malnourished and had been without food, water, or any hygiene for a long period of time.
Reports state that the interior of the home was described as a “landfill," with trash piled waist-high throughout the floor. The teen claimed she had been confined in the house since June 2024 and was forced to use a five-gallon bucket as a toilet.
In an interview with investigators, the teen also alleged that Lozano had beaten and raped her on multiple occasions, and had forced her to use methamphetamine.
Lozano was not present when investigators first arrived at the home but was located and taken into custody later that same day.
As of Wednesday afternoon, April 16, he remains held at the Ector County Law Enforcement Center. He faces six counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault, along with charges of Aggravated Kidnapping and Unlawful Restraint of a Minor Under 17.
His total bond is set at $1,525,000.
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