Andrew Centeno

Introduction

Andrew Daniel Centeno is a former Venus Independent School District employee who was arrested on Thursday, February 19, 2026, after Johnson County Sheriff’s Office detectives executed a residential search warrant in Venus, Texas, as part of an ongoing investigation into the possession of child pornography. According to the sheriff’s office, as a result of the search and a subsequent interview, Centeno confessed to possessing child pornography; he was immediately taken into custody, arrested, and transported to the Johnson County Jail, and formal charges have been filed in connection with the offense. Investigators confirmed he had been employed by Venus ISD in various capacities from 2020 through the end of 2024 and that he has a documented history of involvement with children’s ministries at multiple churches in the area. The confession attributed to him is law enforcement’s account of a post-search interview, not a court adjudication: he has been charged but not tried, and he is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Background Information

Public reporting on Centeno is built almost entirely on the sheriff’s office account of the case, and it centers on two connections to children in the community. The first is his employment history: investigators confirmed that Centeno worked for Venus Independent School District in various capacities from 2020 through the end of 2024, meaning that by the time of his February 2026 arrest he had already been separated from the district for roughly a year. The second is church involvement: the sheriff’s office reported that he has a documented history of involvement with children’s ministries at multiple churches in the area. My Texas Daily, citing the same press release, wrote that investigators “revealed that Centeno was employed by Venus ISD from 2020 to 2024 and had involvement with children’s ministries at various churches.” Neither outlet detailed his specific roles at the district or the churches, and no defense statement from Centeno appears in the available coverage.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations and statements from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office as reported by My Texas Daily and Irving Weekly. Centeno has been charged with possession of child pornography but not tried, and nothing here has been adjudicated in court. The reported confession is the sheriff’s office’s account of a post-search interview, not a plea or a judicial finding; he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The sequence of events, per the sheriff’s office, began with a search. On Thursday, February 19, 2026, detectives with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office executed a residential search warrant in the City of Venus as part of an ongoing investigation into the possession of child pornography. According to that account, as a result of the search and a subsequent interview, Andrew Daniel Centeno confessed to possessing child pornography. He was immediately taken into custody, arrested, and transported to the Johnson County Jail, and formal charges have been filed in connection with the offense. My Texas Daily’s report, based on a press release from the sheriff’s office, states that the warrant led to Centeno’s arrest for possession of child pornography, that he “confessed to the crime,” and that he was booked into the county jail where formal charges have been filed. Authorities emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing and that they are working to ensure no additional victims exist.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The visible response came from law enforcement rather than from the district or the churches. Because of Centeno’s years at Venus ISD and his documented children’s-ministries history, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office actively sought information from the public regarding any contact he may have had with children — whether through school-related activities, church programs, or other interactions. “The safety and well-being of children in our community remains our highest priority,” sheriff’s office officials said. “We are asking anyone who has had contact with Andrew Daniel Centeno or who may have relevant information to come forward immediately.” Detectives Richards and Campbell were named as points of contact, with an office email address and phone line published for tips — contact details that are summarized here rather than reproduced — and anonymous tips can also be submitted through the Johnson County Crime Stoppers program. The sheriff’s office said all tips would be handled confidentially and appropriately. Venus ISD does not appear in the available coverage with a public statement of its own; Centeno was a former employee by the time of the arrest, his district employment having ended with 2024. News-aggregator summaries of the coverage, which could not be independently retrieved, characterized the arrest as the second of 2026 involving a Venus ISD staff member, following a September arrest in an unrelated case.

Current Status

As of the most recent reporting, in late February 2026, Centeno had been formally charged with possession of child pornography and remained in the Johnson County Jail per the initial arrest account, with no trial, plea, or conviction reported. The sheriff’s office described the investigation as ongoing and said it was working to ensure no additional victims exist, and it continued to ask anyone with information about Centeno’s contact with children to come forward. My Texas Daily noted explicitly that Centeno “is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law” — and no outcome in the case has been reported since.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Centeno’s five years with Venus ISD had already ended before the arrest, so the case did not cost him a current district position; what it did was attach a child-pornography possession charge — and the sheriff’s office account of a confession — to a work history that included various roles in a school district and documented involvement in children’s ministries at multiple area churches. The public record now centers on the question investigators put to the community: whether children had contact with him through school activities, church programs, or other interactions. The charges are pending, nothing has been adjudicated, and no defense statement from Centeno appears in the coverage; the presumptions that remain are the ones both outlets recorded — that he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.