Four years after a United Independent School District teacher was accused of raping a 15-year-old student, he pleaded guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence that includes 180 days in jail, 10 years of probation, and sex offender registration.
Emmanuel Palacios was a 30-year-old teacher at Lyndon B. Johnson High School’s Ninth Grade Campus in United ISD when the allegations arose in April 2022.
Palacios resigned from the district soon after, then was arrested in May 2022.
He was charged with 17 counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of improper relationship between educator and student. Both offenses are second-degree felonies punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
A grand jury later indicted the teacher on six counts of sexual assault and one count of improper relationship.
In May 2026, after multiple pre-trial continuances, Palacios pleaded guilty to the improper relationship charge. In exchange, Webb County Assistant District Attorney Rogelio Soto agreed to drop all other charges.
Judge Monica Notzon of the 111th District Court in Laredo accepted the plea deal and ordered a pre-sentencing report. A confidential victim impact statement was also submitted.
On June 1, Judge Notzon sentenced Palacios to 180 days in the Webb County Jail plus 10 years of probation, also called community supervision.
As conditions of probation, the judge ordered Palacios to complete sex offender education and register as a sex offender until released from community supervision. He must also comply with a lifetime protective order and have a sex offender sign outside his residence.
Palacios reportedly worked for United ISD for about seven years prior to his arrest.
He has held a Texas teaching certificate since 2014. His current certification is “under review” by the Texas Education Agency but is valid through 2027.
Palacios is among hundreds of Texas school employees accused of sex crimes involving students and other children in just the past few years, and thousands have been reported to the Texas Education Agency for sexual misconduct.
The TEA’s Educator Misconduct Reporting Dashboard shows that the agency is currently investigating more than 2,000 sexual misconduct complaints and opening an average of 250 new cases each month.
