Child molester sentenced to life without parole

Photo courtesy Ellis County District Attorney's Office.

Charles Bailey Attaway, 38, of DeSoto was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on April 24, 2015 for continuous sexual abuse of a young child.

ELLIS COUNTY — A convicted child molester will spend the rest of his life in prison for sex crimes committed against a child. On April 24, 2015, an Ellis County jury sentenced 38-year-old Charles Bailey Attaway, of DeSoto, Texas, to life in prison without the possibility of parole. On April 21, 2015, Attaway entered a plea of guilty to the offense of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, a 1st degree felony. The minimum sentence for that crime is 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

The charges against Attaway date back to 2007 when he began forcing the victim to engage in various sexual acts. These acts began when the victim was very young and continued for several years. The abuse came to light in 2014 when the victim disclosed the defendant’s behavior. Police were immediately contacted and an investigation ensued. During the investigation officers seized Attaway’s phone which contained numerous images of child pornography.

During trial, prosecutors introduced several images of child pornography, including those depicting infants, which were obtained from Attaway’s phone. The jury also heard and viewed evidence that Attaway was sexting with minor females through the phone application KIK. Attaway was also sending and receiving images of child pornography. An FBI agent informed the jury that child predators are known to frequent the KIK application to gain access to children.

The jurors deliberated for less than an hour before handing down their sentence. Attaway is not eligible for parole.

The case was prosecuted by Habon Mohamed and Grace Pandithurai. After the verdict, Ellis County & District Attorney Patrick Wilson issued the following statement: "I thank the jury for their verdict. They sent a loud and clear message to this defendant and to the community: Crimes committed against children in Ellis County cannot be tolerated."