Bryan man accused of enticing runaway 14-year-old girl he met online

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - A Bryan man is facing multiple charges, including enticing a child, after police say he arranged to meet a 14-year-old runaway girl at a local park, according to a probable cause statement.

Daniel Gutierrez Salgado, 28, was arrested Sept. 3 and formally charged following an investigation, the statement said.

Officer found pair in parked car

An officer patrolling Sue Haswell Park saw a car parked in the back of the lot with a windshield cover and curtains over the back windows, the statement said. The officer approached and found a man and a 14-year-old girl inside, with a pillow on the girl’s lap, according to the statement.

When asked about the curtains and pillow, the man said it was because it was “hot in Texas,” the statement said. He told the officer he was dropping off items he had bought for the girl and said he had traveled from Katy, about 85 miles away, according to the statement.

The girl did not have identification and was found to be a runaway, the statement said. The man was identified as Salgado, according to the statement.

Salgado told the responding officer he had a firearm in the center console and another in the trunk and consented to having them removed, the statement said. Officers recovered a 9mm handgun and a .22-caliber revolver, according to the statement.

Girl says she met the man online at age 12

The girl told officers she met Salgado through a cell phone app when she was 12 and had lied about her age, claiming she was 18, the statement said. She said the two had remained in contact since, mostly through Snapchat, according to the statement.

The girl’s mother arrived on scene and told officers she was aware of the relationship and had previously told Salgado to stop contacting her daughter, the statement said. She said her daughter was not allowed to leave the house at night without permission and that in past runaway incidents, her daughter had been with Salgado, according to the statement.

Investigators later learned that Harris County deputies had contacted Salgado in 2025 during a welfare check related to the girl, and that Salgado told deputies at the time he was aware the girl had lied about her age, the statement said.

Search turns up evidence, leads to more charges

Officers searched the vehicle and found condoms, along with a bag of items Salgado had purchased for the girl, including a costume-style item and children’s underwear, the statement said. Based on the items found and the age gap between Salgado and the girl, officers believed the two intended to meet for sexual activity, according to the statement.

A review of the girl’s phone, conducted with her mother’s consent, and a subsequent investigation turned up messages and video files investigators said showed a romantic and sexually explicit relationship between Salgado and the girl dating back to January 2025, the statement said. Investigators said the material included video in which Salgado exposed himself and engaged in a sex act on camera, according to the statement.

The girl was taken for a forensic medical exam, which she agreed to undergo, the statement said. According to the statement, she told officers she and Salgado had no physical contact that night beyond their hands briefly touching, and she denied ever having sexual contact with him. The statement said the girl described Salgado as a father figure who had helped her get away from an abusive situation with her biological father.

Salgado was arrested on charges including Park Curfew Violation, Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon and Enticing a Child, and was booked into the Brazos County Detention Center, the statement said. Following further investigation, additional charges of distributing sexually explicit material to a minor and possession of child sexually abusive material were filed, according to the statement.