Sex offenses can cause outrage in the community and often attract heavy sentences. Recently, the Dallas Morning News reported on how a man from Fort Worth man was sentenced to 43 years in prison without parole for molesting two girls.
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s office said in a news release that a jury had deliberated for just over an hour before sentencing 40-year-old Christopher Gonzalez. He will not be released from prison until he is 83 years old. The Dallas Morning News reported on how Gonzalez was convicted of the “continuous sexual abuse of children under 14.” The allegations came to light in 2013 when one girl reported the abuse to her mother. She said Gonzalez had also abused another girl.
In a separate case, the Dallas Morning News reported on how a 40-year-old man has been arrested and accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a boy over a two year period.
James Clyde Casselberry was arrested last week and charged with sexual abuse of a child. He is being held in the Dallas County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
According to reports, the boy told police that Casselberry initially molested him when he was just 8 years old. Casselberry is accused of waking the boy up and inappropriately touching him. He allegedly told the boy that he was intoxicated and would only stop if the child got better grades in school, according to an affidavit in a search warrant.
While cases of sexual assault tend to shock society, the evidence of young witnesses in these cases can be unreliable.
Usually, in such cases, the state will proceed to trial with uncorroborated statement of the alleged victim in the case, which means a defendant often faces a long prison term on the basis of a he said/she said case.
Sentences of more than 20 years in prison are commonplace in these cases and, if convicted, the defendant will face the added stigma of being a registered sex offender for life and being required to successfully complete a challenging sex offender treatment program.
If you are charged with sexual assault of a child, this is a very serious charge and it is imperative that you discuss it with a Board Certified Criminal Defense Attorney immediately. Please call us to set up a free consultation and we will take as long as necessary explaining how we defend against these charges and answering your questions.
