Repeat child abuser convicted on molestation cases

In a trial that concluded last Friday, a Parker County jury convicted a Weatherford man of the years long sexual abuse of a young girl and sentenced him to life in prison.

In the trial, Darrell Eugene Read, 36, was found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a young child and indecency with a child by contact. The jury sentenced him to life on both cases and also assessed a $10,000 fine.

Read had been convicted of injury to a child and sentenced to four years in prison in 2012. The investigation in that case revealed that a 9-month-old child had suffered bruising in multiple places on her body.

“The jury’s verdicts ensure that a repeat child abuser will never again breathe free air,” said District Attorney Jeff Swain. “His life sentence will be served without the possibility of parole, so he will never again have the opportunity to prey on an innocent child. We appreciate our jurors for listening to testimony that was very difficult to hear and for speaking out on behalf of our victim and the people of Parker County.”

During the trial, the victim, now a teenager, testified that the sexual abuse occurred in a home and motels in Parker County, as well as in Arkansas, over a period of six years. She told jurors that Read forced her to engage in a variety of different sex acts with regularity throughout that time.

“I was so proud of our victim for bravely recounting the years of sexual abuse that she suffered at the hands of Mr. Read,” said Assistant District Attorney Mallory Vincent, who tried the case for the prosecution along with Assistant District Attorney Ryan Whyte. “The horrific details that she gave the jury about what he did to her, including specific details about his anatomy that she should not have known, were crucial in helping us to hold him accountable and keep our community safe.”

The prosecution also called forensic interviewers from the Children’s Advocacy Center of Parker County to talk about the victim’s outcry during their conversation with her, and officers and detectives from the Weatherford Police Department. A sexual assault nurse examiner from Cook Children’s Hospital and a forensic scientist from the Texas Department of Public Safety crime laboratory also testified during the State’s case.

“We need to recognize the excellent work on this case by the Criminal Investigations Division of the Weatherford Police Department,” Whyte said. “They went above and beyond to find all of the little things that corroborated the descriptions given by our victim and then showed up in numbers at trial to make sure everyone knew that they were behind us 100%.”

Read testified in his defense and categorically denied having sexually abused the victim. He had no explanation for why the victim would make up her allegations. At one point, he told jurors he was not sure if he would believe him if he were on the jury.

The jury deliberated for two hours before finding Read guilty. They deliberated 25 minutes before giving him a life sentence.

After receiving the jury’s punishment verdict, District Judge Craig Towson ordered that the two life sentences be served consecutively.

“You have been found guilty of one of the most heinous of crimes: continuous sexual abuse of a young child,” Towson told Read. “Now, you get to live with the consequences of your actions. Yesterday when the jury found you guilty, you looked like it was the worst day of your life. However, I submit to you, it was just the worst day so far.”

“The net effect of the judge’s stacking order in conjunction with the jury’s decision was that the defendant was given the absolute maximum sentence allowed by law,” Swain said. “I’m very thankful that Judge Towson stood up next to our prosecutors and jury to let us speak with one voice about what our county thinks about those who abuse our community’s kids. We simply will not tolerate it.”