| Inmate name: | Glynn Chase Washington |
| Charge description: | On Thursday, July 18, 2013, Glynn Chase Washington was found guilty of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, under the age of six, and sentenced to 35 years in prison. The case was tried to a jury in the 240th Judicial District Court with the Honorable Thomas R. Culver, III presiding. On July 19, 2013, Judge Culver assessed the punishment. Under Texas law, the defendant will not be eligible for parole. Evidence presented by prosecutors Natalie McKinnon and Laurel Ellisor, assigned to the Child Abuse Division in the District Attorneys Office, revealed when the victim in this case was eight years old; he asked his mom if God would punish a four year old for doing bad things with an adult. From that question, the child then disclosed to his mother that he had been sexually assaulted by a male relative when he was 4 or 5 years old. His mother called the police and an investigation began by the Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office. The evidence showed that the defendant sexually assaulted the child in the defendants bedroom. The child testified that the sexual assaults occurred three times when he was 4 or 5, but that he didnt realize that it was bad until he was older. During the investigation, lead Detective Ronnie Novosad contacted the defendant and obtained a voluntary statement. The defendant confessed to sexually assaulting the child, but blamed the child for initiating the sexual acts. Lead prosecutor Natalie McKinnon said that child abuse cases are some of the most difficult cases to prosecute. These types of offenses are secret crimes and are often committed when only the defendant and child are alone together, frequently making the child the only witness to the crime. This requires the child to testify about the sexual abuse in the courtroom. McKinnon expressed empathy for the child victim, The trials of child abuse cases are hard on the victims who are forced to relive terrible experiences by describing them in detail in front of a courtroom full of strangers. The testimony is not pleasant to listen to, and the jury in this case showed their understanding of the importance of their role in the justice system. Mrs. Ellisor had praise for the child victim, This little boy was sexually abused by someone he should have been able to trust. He is a little boy who has a lot to be proud of. It took great courage to come forward and face his abuser. Because he was able to stand up for himself by telling what happened to him, he stood up for all child victims as well. In September 2007, the Texas Legislature increased the punishment range for offenders who sexually abuse children under the age of six, making this offense punishable by 25 99 years or life in prison without the possibility of parole and up to a $10,000 fine. This was the first case tried under the new punishment range in Fort Bend County. |
| Booking location: | Fort Bend County, TX |
