Several sex crime cases close to trial

Source: Odessa American, TexasOct.mini storage 29--A string of pre-trial hearings for several defendants were heard Monday morning in Judge Bill McCoy's 358th District Court.The hearings inside the third-floor courtroom in Ector County Courthouse were brief in all cases and most will continue on to trial next month. Defendants are required to be present at their pre-trial hearings, McCoy said. Jury selection for these trials is scheduled for Nov. 5. Here's a rundown of who was in McCoy's court Monday morning:--Jose Luis Vasquez is currently in jail and charged with aggravated assault of a child. He's accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl in July 2009. This is the second trial for Vasquez on these charges after the 11th Court of Appeals of Texas sent the case back to the trial court after finding that Vasquez's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel were founded. According to a previous Odessa American story, the claims were based on a missed objection and testimony elicited about Vasquez's criminal history of a 1999 felony possession of cocaine conviction and his 2002 felony DWI conviction that were not admissible in court.--Charles Thompson is currently in jail and charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child. Thompson, of Hobbs, N.M., was re-arrested in New Mexico in November 2010 in connection to a 2008 continuous sexual abuse in Ector County after police were looking into a case of stolen music equipment. This case was the only such Monday morning in which a plea deal was discussed. McCoy asked whether there was a plea offer being worked out to which the state said there wasn't at this time. The case will continue to trial.--Diana Garcia is charged with improper sexual activity with a person in custody. Garcia appeared before McCoy with her lawyer Michael McLeaish. There were no pending motions by either the state or the defense.--John Patrick Hensley, 69, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety sex offender registry, Hensley was previously sentenced to 25 years for indecency with a child sexual contact with a 7-year-old girl and sex迷你倉al assault of a 13-year-old girl. He's since been discharged on probation. His lawyer Lawrence Barber and the state said they're ready to go with a trial.--Joel Baeza is charged with indecency with a child and was about to face a jury in September when a mistrial was declared and the jury was dismissed. His lawyer Michael McLeaish said the state failed to reveal the reported victim was undergoing psychiatric care. In 2010, Baeza was arrested on accusations he had fondled a 13-year-old girl's breast. On Monday, McLeaish said he was ready to try the case in September and he's ready now for that trial.--Manuel Rivas is charged with aggravated sexual assault with a child. During Rivas' pre-trial hearing there was discussion about redacting Child Protective Services records before the trial began.--James Walter Roczniak is charged with sexual assault of a child after a grand jury indictment stated he sexually assaulted a child 24 times over two years. He was arrested in November 2012. Roczniak appeared before McCoy and will head to trial next month.--Stevan Tarango was charged with burglary of a habitation and aggravated kidnapping in December 2010. He reportedly kidnapped a woman and forced her to perform oral sex. There was no discussion about Tarango's case.--Frederico Campos Patino was charged in 2010 with indecency with a child. McCoy issued a warrant to appear for Patino who did not show up on time to his hearing Monday morning. Patino is accused of groping his girlfriend's daughter, who was 14 years old.--Andres Reyes, 62, was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child in May 2012. Reyes is accused of touching the breasts and genitals of a 16-year-old girl. His attorney Robert Garcia Jr. was late to the pre-trial hearing when prosecuting attorneys said they're ready to move forward with a trial.Follow Odessa American on twitter @OdessaAmerican, like us on Facebook at Odessa American or call 432-333-7714 for the main newsroom line.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at .oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services文件倉