A Goliad Independent School District trustee is facing new child sex crime charges following his arrest in June for allegedly raping a minor.
Daniel San Miguel, 54, was arrested June 6 and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child (statutory rape), a first-degree felony, and official oppression.
San Miguel was re-arrested Wednesday after a grand jury indicted him Tuesday on four charges: two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and one count each of stalking and official oppression.
The minor victim’s identity and age have not been revealed, but the age of consent in Texas is 17.
The charges followed an investigation by the Texas Rangers into San Miguel, who was also a Refugio police officer assigned as a school resource officer for Refugio ISD from January to May 2026.
The Refugio Police Department fired San Miguel on June 2.
San Miguel was booked into the Refugio County Jail on August 12 and has since been released, according to a report by the Goliad Advance-Guard.
Goliad ISD Superintendent Holly Lyon stated in June that no Goliad ISD students or staff had been identified as being involved in the allegations against San Miguel.
The district issued a criminal trespass notice on June 8 barring San Miguel from school property.
In a statement issued August 13 acknowledging San Miguel’s latest arrest, Lyon explained that an elected trustee cannot be fired by the superintendent or school board the way an employee can. “There are specific legal steps that must be followed.”
Goliad ISD’s website shows San Miguel’s term ended in May 2026, but he and the other two trustees on the ballot ran unopposed and were automatically re-elected to new three-year terms.
Unless he resigns or is finally convicted of a felony, San Miguel can remain on the board.
Residents may petition a court to consider removal of a school board trustee on grounds of incompetency, official misconduct, or intoxication on or off duty caused by drinking an alcoholic beverage.
“Because this is an active criminal case, the GISD cannot comment on the details of the investigation or make assumptions about the outcome. That process belongs to law enforcement and the courts,” stated Lyon.
“What we can say clearly is that the safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority.”
Texas Scorecard has asked Refugio ISD whether the charges against San Miguel involve any of its students. The district posted to social media on Thursday that all Refugio ISD employees had been trained on recognizing and reporting suspected child abuse.
In the past few years, hundreds of Texas school employees have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children, as have several elected trustees.
