A 27-year-old Gatesville man has been arrested and charged with the aggravated sexual assault of a child who died in his care last week.

Chet Shelton was taken into custody Sunday and is being held in the Coryell County jail in lieu of $500,000 bond. The charges against him stem from the investigation of the death of a 2-year-old boy in his home Wednesday, January 13.

According to police, Shelton was romantically involved with the child's mother and watching him while she was at work. Officers were callled to the 3400 block of Imperial Drive Wednesday around 8:20 pm and found the boy lying unresponsive. He was transported to Coryell Memorial Hospital, where he later passed away.

An autopsy showed the boy died as a result of blunt force trauma and revealed signs of sexual abuse. A press release from the Coryell County District Attorney's Office indicated that Shelton is currently on parole after serving a sentence for injury to a child.

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