Chaparral man known as ‘Tio Pablo’ once again arrested on child sex assault charges

Detectives with the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Chaparral man a second time and charged him with three additional counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child.

Detectives said news coverage of Pablo Meza Aragon’s arrest, first reported by ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom, encouraged a second victim to come forward with allegations of sexual abuse that allegedly happened 15 years ago. The victim, now 20 years old, told detectives the alleged abuse happened when she was five.

Aragon, 73, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at his home in the 500 block of Mesilla View. He had been free on bond since being released from the Doña Ana County Detention Center on March 16, 2018.

The victims and their families say Aragon is commonly known as “Tio Pablo” around Chaparral, both to family members and acquaintances.

On March 10, Aragon was arrested on charges he sexually assaulted a five-year-old girl who visited his home the previous day. Aragon allegedly lured the girl to a shed “to see a bunny.” Inside the shed, Aragon allegedly kissed, groped and sexually assaulted the child.

Aragon is now being held without bond on three new charges of criminal sexual penetration of a child.