A 71-year-old Brownsville man will spend the next two decades in prison for touching young children sexually, according to the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office.
On Monday, Jose Maria Medrano pleaded guilty to four counts of indecency with a child by contact and given the 20 year sentence, prosecutors said.
Medrano was in the 138th state District Court preparing for his trial to get underway when he entered the plea, according to authorities.
The district attorney’s office said Medrano touched the children on multiple occasion before they told others what he was doing to them.
Upon release from prison, he will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, prosecutors said. The court also issued lifetime protective orders for all of his young victims, which means Medrano can never go near the children or contact them, officials added.
“During the course of the investigations it was revealed that there were additional victims who had not been reported. Parents, we urge you to please contact law enforcement and report suspected child abuse immediately,” district attorney Luis Saenz said in a statement. “Child sexual abuse is among the most egregious crimes that forever emotionally scars victims.”
Saenz said teams of law enforcement, prosecutors and agencies work around the clock to ensure victims are heard, they receive resources to cope, and that justice is served.
