BRAZOS CO. JURY SENTENCES HOUSTON MAN TO 30 YEARS FOR CHILD MOLESTATION

  

A Houston man has been sentenced in Brazos County to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing a child.

24-year-old Kevin Hernandez was found guilty Friday of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child Under the Age of 14.  The jury took less than an hour to reach their verdict.  Hernandez will have no possibility for parole.

Prosecutors said Hernandez sexually abused two boys over two years, beginning in 2011.  At the time the abuse began, the victims were five and seven.

In December of 2015, the older of the two victims told his mother he had been abused.  The second victim soon came forward and spoke about the abuse he suffered as well.

Initially, the children’s parents reported the abuse in the Houston area, but investigators sent the case to the Bryan Police Department when they determined the abuse occurred in Brazos County.

During the trial, jurors heard testimony from the forensic interviewer from Scotty’s House, a non-profit Child Advocacy Center serving several counties in the Brazos Valley.  The interviewer testified about why victims of sexual abuse frequently delay reporting abuse.

In a written statement, Assistant District Attorneys Kara Comte and Ryan Calvert called these children “heroes”.  They said this case demonstrates that “even if it takes victims years to find their voice, our community will listen”.