UPDATED February 2, 2026.
A South Texas teacher’s aide was arrested after admitting to an “intimate relationship” with a young student.
Andrea Melba Rodriguez worked as an educational aide for the Runge Independent School District in Karnes County.
The Karnes County Sheriff’s Office learned on Friday of an alleged “improper relationship” between a Runge ISD employee and a “middle school aged student,” according to a statement released Monday by Sheriff Steven Bailey.
Middle school students are typically 11 to 13 years old.
KCSO investigated and found “digital evidence confirming that an intimate relationship between the school employee and the student was active and had taken place over the course of an extended period of time.” No other information about the criminal activity was revealed.
Sheriff’s officers located and detained Rodriguez on Monday.
Bailey stated that Rodriguez “provided a full confession of events and the actions that led to the improper relationship with the child.”
She also allegedly destroyed evidence related to the investigation.
Rodriguez was arrested November 10, 2025, on a charge of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, a third-degree felony, and booked into the Karnes County Jail. She was released on the next day on a $15,000 bond.
Runge ISD Superintendent Hector O. Dominguez Jr. had informed families on November 7 that the district was investigating a report of “inappropriate conduct by a district employee.” He stated that the district followed all required procedures, including notifying outside law enforcement and state agencies.
“The safety of our students remains our highest priority,” said Dominguez.
Dominguez confirmed to parents on November 10 that the employee had been arrested and was no longer employed by Runge ISD.
In January 2026, a grand jury indicted Rodriguez on charges of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair an investigation, as well as improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison.
It’s unclear if Rodriguez is certified to teach. State records show multiple educational aide certificates issued in the name “Andrea Rodriguez,” but none are currently under review by the Texas Education Agency.
Rodriguez is among hundreds of Texas educators accused of sex crimes involving students and other children in just the past few years.
Thousands of educator sexual misconduct complaints have been reported to the TEA since the agency began keeping organized records in 2021.
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