Former TABC Agent Sentenced for Sexual Assault of a Teenager
A former TABC agent will spend the next two decades in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage girl.
42-year-old Joe Chavez was sentenced late last week by a Bastrop County jury to the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for felony sexual assault of a minor, plus a $10,000 fine.
The jury also sentenced Chavez to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for felony online solicitation of a minor, plus one year in county jail and a $4,000 fine on a charge of official oppression.
Prosecutors say that Chavez sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl after she assisted him with an undercover sting operation in 2009. Before the evening of the assault, Chavez sent the girl a text message containing a sexually explicit image of himself, which prompted the online solicitation of a minor charge.
Chavez pleaded guilty to all three charges when his trial began last week. The jury returned a not guilty verdict on a second felony assault of a child charge. The trial judge will decide next week whether Chavez will serve the felony sentences concurrently or consecutively.