A former American Idol contestant from Plano was sentenced to eight years of probation after accepting a plea deal Friday on a sexual assault charge out of Grapevine.
Ronald Kombo “Ron” Bultongez, then 25, turned himself in to police in 2021 after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in multiple Texas cities over the course of several months in 2020 and 2021. The age of consent in Texas is 17.
According to an arrest-warrant affidavit, the teen reported the sexual abuse months before Bultongez’s arrest and told authorities that on at least one occasion, Bultongez assaulted her after she told him no.
Bultongez did not use a condom during the assaults and bought the girl several Plan B pills, the affidavit says, and he also told her not to tell anyone about their relationship or that he’d go to jail.
Bultongez was initially charged with four felony counts of sexual assault of a child, but three of the counts were waived, according to Tarrant County court records.
Bultongez’s attorney, Christy Jack, told the Dallas Observer that her client accepted the plea deal and sentence.
“After lengthy negotiations with prosecutors, our legal team reached an agreement where our client received eight years’ probation,” Jack said in a written statement. “During the hearing on Friday, the complainant was given the opportunity to say her piece. We believe our client to be a man of character and this agreement avoided a trial and gave closure to everyone involved.”
Bultongez appeared on the 2018 season of American Idol, making it to the top 24. He released a single weeks before his arrest titled “Put Myself First.”
The 27-year-old is still producing music, according to his social-media profiles, including on Instagram where he has 17,300 followers.
