![BrCoCourthouseEntrance_feat Photo of the entrance to the Brazos County courthouse, April 13 2016.](https://wtaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/BrCoCourthouseEntrance_feat.jpg)
Prosecutors say the victim was able to fight back against her family’s manipulation because she had support of her friends and a team of professionals.
A jury trial was cancelled this week after prosecutors reached a plea agreement with 41 year old Tony Palmer.
The Brazos County man received a 20 year prison sentence for attacks that took place in April and May of 2016.
Prosecutors dropped a charge of repeated aggravated assaults between September 2007 and August 2015, and a charge of Palmer offering to buy the victim a car if she refused to testify.
The plea agreement also requires Palmer to stay away from the victim and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
Tony Palmer, 41, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday for Sexual Assault of a Child and Indecency with a Child by Contact after pleading guilty to both charges.
On May 23, 2016, a 14 year old girl disclosed that Palmer had sexually abused her on multiple occasions. The child was interviewed by the Children’s Assessment Center in Houston Texas. The Brazos County Sheriff’s office conducted an investigation and collected evidence that corroborated the child’s statement.
Palmer was arrested on October 10, 2016. Palmer made numerous attempts to coerce the child into changing her statement to authorities. The child was interviewed at Scott’s House and discussed the pressure that was being put on her by Palmer and other members of her family.
The young girl was able to fight back against her family’s manipulation because of the support of friends and a dedicated team of professionals who saw the truth despite the defendant’s actions.
Palmer was set to go on trial on Monday, December 6, 2021 on the charges. In lieu of a jury trial, Palmer agreed to plead guilty to the sexual abuse charges in exchange for the 20 year sentence, the maximum that could have been received on both Sexual Assault of a Child and Indecency with a Child by Contact.
The child victim, now an adult, was present in the courtroom for the sentencing and able to give a victim impact statement.
A statement issued by assistant district attorneys Kara Comte and Kristin Burns said: “Too often, children who disclose abuse are not believed. In this case, a young girl was able to fight back and get the justice she so richly deserved, even though her family did not believe her. This man will spend time in prison for his actions, and she knows that she did the right thing in disclosing.”