BRENHAM MAN CONVICTED FOR CONTINUOUS CHILD SEX ABUSE

  

A Washington County jury has convicted a man for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child.

41-year-old Michael Earl Bee of Brenham was found guilty late Wednesday evening after a week-long trial.  Judge Carson Campbell will assess punishment at a date to be determined.

Bee was indicted in November 2019 after a series of outcries were made during an investigation by the Brenham Police Department.  Bee was listed as a resident of Bryan at the time.  Through the forensic interview process by a local child advocacy center, officials determined a timeline for the abuse and presented the case to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, the case was delayed in large part by the Office of Court Administration not allowing jury trials for over a year during the COVID shutdowns.  Court records show that Bee was on his third attorney and had been on bail since November 2020, which the District Attorney’s Office said required him by law to be set for trial behind any inmate.

At trial, District Attorney Julie Renken and First Assistant Derek Estep represented the State.  Wesley Keng of Giddings represented the defendant.

Deliberations took just over three hours, and after the verdict was announced, Bee was taken into custody.

Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child is a specially categorized felony that allows the State to charge a person for committing two or more sex acts against a child under 14 for a period of more than 30 days in duration.  The punishment range is 25-99 years, or life, in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, without the possibility of parole.

After the trial, Renken said, “We are so proud to have finally been able to get these girls a chance to tell their story. They walked away empowered, and we pray that this will be a major step in their healing process.”

The District Attorney’s Office said it will provide more details on the case once the sentencing hearing is complete.