Local man pleads guilty to sexual assault of a child
On Wednesday, May 29, 2024, Stephen King, 34, pleaded guilty before a jury to three counts Stephen King and one count of Indecency with a Child, according to First Assistant District Attorney Benjamin I. Kaminar. After hearing punishment evidence, the jury returned sentences of 20 years and 8 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on two counts and recommended probation on the other two.
In May 2023, King added a 16-year-old girl on Snapchat and then discussed getting high with her. When she agreed to meet him, King picked her up from her house around 2 a.m., provided her with marijuana and drove straight to the La Quinta in Paris. After getting a room, King sexually assaulted the girl twice, performed oral sex on her, and tried to force her to perform oral sex on him. The girl testified that she tried to scratch his back to make him stop, but he held her down by the throat. King ejaculated on the child, which was recovered during a sexual assault exam, then showered and took her back home. King later fled the state after leaving a note saying he was being framed and was ultimately arrested in Kansas.
“The jurors heard evidence from a sexual assault nurse examiner, a DNA analyst, a therapist who described the victim’s PTSD, and the victim herself,” said Kaminar. “Prison is the appropriate place for predators like King and I am proud of the jury’s sentence in this case.” After the jury returned its punishment verdict, Judge Wes Tidwell ordered the sentences to run consecutively, resulting in 28 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation. Judge Tidwell also entered a lifetime protective order against King. King will be eligible for release on parole after serving at least half of each sentence and must register as a sex offender for life.
Lamar County District Attorney Gary Young said, “We appreciate the jury’s hard work in this case. The facts in this case should remind every parent of the threats our children face from online predators.”
The case was tried in the 6th District Court before Judge Wes Tidwell. King was prosecuted by Benjamin Kaminar and Erin Lewis; he was represented by Clay Johnson of Sulphur Springs.