ORANGE COUNTY, Texas — A 60-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being found guilty of what a prosecutor called "one of the most heinous crimes" in Texas.
James Bryan was found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child in January 2023. He faced anywhere from 25 to 99 years or life in prison.
Bryan’s trial was held before the 128th District Court in Orange County and the prosecutor in the trial was Bard Anderson.
On Monday, Bryan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"This is one of the most heinous crimes we have in our state, and we are not going to accept that kind of conduct from anybody,” Anderson said. “When the victim is a child, it is of utmost importance to us that we get justice."
The trial comes years after a victim made an outcry in 2020. It is said the abuse started when she was 6 years old and continued until she was 11.
"In all these cases, every crime is a victimized crime whether direct or indirect,” Anderson said. “In cases where we have a victim and it's a sexual offense, we want the community to be aware that we are going to investigate these cases.”
The case was indicted in 2021. The global pandemic played a part in the trial not happening until recently because it delayed the investigation.
“We are going to indict these cases, and the people of Orange County are not going to tolerate this crime,” Anderson said.
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