Wise County, Texas, sheriff’s department vehicle.
The FedEx driver arrested earlier this month and accused of killing 7-year-old Athena Strand now faces three unrelated charges of sexual assault of a child dating back to 2013, NBC 5 has learned.
Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, has been held in the county jail on charges of alleged capital murder of a person under 10 and aggravated kidnapping since his arrest on Dec. 2.
Online records from the Wise County Jail show Horner is now also facing three counts of sexual assault of a child under 17 with bonds of $15,000 each. Horner remains in the Wise County Jail held on bonds now totaling $1,545,000.
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The new charges of sexual assault of a child, which were filed on Wednesday, were alleged to have taken place nine years ago. According to information obtained by NBC 5, the alleged assaults all took place in 2013 on June 1, Aug. 11 and Dec. 6. Further details about the charges have not yet been confirmed including whether the allegations come from one victim or multiple victims.
After his arrest earlier this month, Horner told investigators he hit Strand with his truck after making a delivery at her home but that she wasn't seriously injured. He said he panicked and strangled her after she said she was going to tell her father about the accident. Horner later told investigators where they could find the girl's body.
NBC 5 has reached out to the Tarrant County District Attorney and about the latest charges and is awaiting a response. It's not immediately clear if Horner has obtained an attorney.
NBC 5's Don Peritz and Cynthia Garcia contributed to this report.
