Waxahachie man convicted of child pornography and sexual assault

On June 28, 2016, in the 443rd Judicial District Court, a Waxahachie man was sentenced to a total of 110 years in prison for multiple sexual assault and child pornography offenses. The man is not being named in order to protect the identity of the sexual assault victim.

In late April and early May of 2014, images of suspected child pornography were uploaded to the social media site, "Tumblr." Tumblr flagged the postings and notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Initial investigation by NCMEC traced the posting to the Dallas area, so the case was reported to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force of the Dallas Police Department. Further investigation by DPD traced the posting to a social media user in Waxahachie.

In June 2014, the Waxahachie Police Department executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence in Waxahachie. A forensic search of the man’s cell phone recovered multiple images of child pornography. The search also recovered images of an adult woman who appeared to be unconscious while being sexually assaulted. Waxahachie Police identified the woman, who was known to the defendant. The woman confirmed that she had no knowledge of either the images or of the assault. When police showed the images to the woman, she became distraught and physically ill.

The man entered pleas of guilty, and he received the maximum sentence, in eight separate cases, as follows:

• Sexual Assault – 20 years
• Sexual Assault – 20 years
• Possession of Child Pornography With Intent to Promote – 20 years
• Five cases of Possession of Child Pornography – 10 years each

The sentences will be served concurrently.

"This is a great outcome for a horrible case," Ellis County District Attorney Patrick Wilson said.

According to Wilson, the defendant waived all appeals, and the victim was spared the trauma and uncertainty of a trial. Short of agreeing to it, the only way this defendant could have received a longer sentence is if he went to trial on all eight cases, was convicted on all eight cases, sentenced by a jury to maximum sentences on all eight cases, then had those maximum sentences all stacked by the Court. There is a lot of uncertainty in that scenario.

"I want to commend everyone involved in this case: Tumblr, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the FBI, the Dallas Police Department, the Waxahachie Police Department, and my staff," Patrick said.

"The internet and electronic technology have ushered in an era of previously unthinkable crimes. Combating disturbing crimes such as these requires a collaborative, sophisticated approach. That approached worked in this case. As a result, a sexual predator is in prison. Let this be a warning to others who share their deviant, criminal behavior online."