by | Published
SAN ANTONIO, TX — A 50-year-old associate pastor and former campus teacher has been arrested following allegations of long-term sexual abuse involving multiple juvenile victims. Ryan Peña was taken into custody on Friday, April 3, 2026, at the Church of Acts, located in the 9900 block of Kriewald Road near Lackland Air Force Base in Far West San Antonio.
Peña faces a charge of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 14, a first-degree felony.
The investigation gained momentum after a 31-year-old woman, identified as a relative of Peña, provided a detailed outcry to the San Antonio Police Department. She alleged that Peña began grooming and sexually abusing her when she was a child, with the abuse continuing for several years until she was 17.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Peña utilized social media to facilitate the abuse, including a message sent to the victim on MySpace where he explicitly stated he wanted to be "friends with benefits." Since the initial report, three additional victims have come forward with similar allegations of sexual assault.
Peña’s life was deeply integrated into the church and its educational arm. At the time of his arrest, he held several roles:
Associate Pastor at Church of Acts.
Teacher at Royal Point Academy, the church’s on-site campus school (serving Pre-K through 5th grade).
Resident: Peña lived on the church property, where the arrest was executed.
Investigators revealed that while victims had disclosed the abuse to other relatives over the years, law enforcement was not contacted until recently as the survivors attempted to move on from the trauma.
Peña was booked into the Bexar County Jail and was released on Monday, April 6, after posting a $150,000 bond. He is currently under house arrest at the church site.
Due to his long-standing roles as a religious leader and educator, the San Antonio Police Department's Special Victims Unit (SVU) believes there could be additional victims. Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Contact SAPD Special Victims Unit: 210-207-2313
This arrest follows a similar high-profile case in North Texas, where an Arlington pastor was arrested twice for sexual crimes against minors and adults, highlighting a troubling trend of abuse allegations within regional religious leadership.
