BEAUMONT — A Port Neches man was sentenced to 30 years after he pled guilty to sexual assault of a child and possession of child pornography on Monday.
Richard Dwayne Denman, 49, was sentenced to the maximum in each case by Judge John B. Stevens, Jr.
Denman received 20 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on the sexual assault of a child charge and 10 years on the possession of child pornography charge, according to a press release from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.
On August 14, 2014, an outcry was made by a 14-year-old female that Denman had been sexually abusing her. The abuse began earlier that summer and happened on more than one occasion. During the investigation, family members of Denman turned over several cell phones belonging to him. Detectives with the Port Neches and Port Arthur Police Departments obtained a search warrant for the phones and later found child pornography.
Assistant District Attorney Kim Hobbs said, “Twenty years in prison is nowhere near enough for what this victim had to endure, but I hope that she feels a sense of justice that he received the maximum sentence. The victim is the true hero in this case, and it took exceptional bravery for her to come forward. With the victim’s cooperation and the excellent investigation by Detective Cherí Visser, we were able to bring this child molester to justice.”