THREE MEN SENTENCED TO PRISON TERMS FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE CHARGES
Three Grimes County men will be going to prison for a long time after being convicted on child sex abuse charges.
The case began on May 2 of last year when the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a female between the ages of 14 and 16 being sexually abused.
During his investigation, Sheriff’s Office Investigator Cameron Parham determined that 51-year-old Brian Keith Manley began sexually abusing the victim, while she was staying at his home.
He also invited his neighbors that lived across the street, 49-year-old Christopher Barnett, and 60-year-old Jody Jernigan, to also sexually abuse the victim.
According to the D.A.’s Office, Manley tried to have the victim represent herself as being older than her actual age.
On June 18, 2025, D.A. Chief Investigator John Wren obtained a confession from Jernigan, while Barnett confessed to Texas Ranger Chris Rainwater. Manley initially denied the allegations.
All three were later arrested on warrants issued by County Court at-Law Judge Tuck McClain.
During a follow-up interview at the Grimes County Jail, Investigator Wren obtained a confession from Manley in which he learned that the suspect was making a video using his cell-phone.
Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Investigator Renee Rhinesfort assisted on the case by extracting the video from Manley’s cellphone, which was located in the deleted files.
All three suspects were sentenced in District Court this week.
On Monday, Manley pled guilty and was sentenced to 40 years in prison for Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, 40 years in prison for Indecency With a Child, and 20 years in prison for Sexual Performance of Child.
On Wednesday, Jernigan pled guilty to Sexual Assault of Child and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
On Thursday, Barnett was sentenced to 30 years in prison for Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity and 20 years in prison for Sexual Assault of Child.
Assistant District Attorney Tammy Thomas prosecuted all three cases.