Williamson Co. man first Texan to be charged under Jessica's Law
December 8, 2007
LEANDER, Texas (AP) — A Williamson County grand jury has indicted a man on a capital charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child, making him the first person in Texas charged under a new state law that carries harsher penalties for sex offenders.
If convicted, Alfredo Soto Enriquez, 35, would face a minimum punishment of 25 years in prison, part of tougher sentencing rules known as Jessica's Law. Under old laws, Enriquez could have been eligible for parole after serving part of his sentence. Now, parole is no longer an option.
Enriquez is accused of molesting a 10-year-old girl at least twice from September to October, authorities said. He also faces seven counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child.
Enriquez's attorney, Bristol Myers of Austin, said the allegations are untrue and that his client is "looking forward to his day in court." Enriquez remained in the Williamson County Jail on Friday with bail set at $500,000.
Enriquez is the first Texas resident indicted under the new law, according to Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley and the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.
"This just happened to be the first case we received where it looked like it fit that definition," Bradley said.
The bill is named for Jessica Lunsford, a Florida girl who was abducted and killed. More than a dozen states have passed versions of Jessica's Law, which allows the death penalty for people convicted of twice raping a child under the age of 14.
Gov. Rick Perry deemed passage of a child sex offender bill a legislative emergency and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst made the bill one of his top priorities during the most recent legislative session.
