SAN ANTONIO – A man prosecutors dubbed a "compulsive predator" was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison Tuesday by 144th District Court Judge Angus McGinty.
Joseph Cadena, 43, was arrested on June 16, 2010, for secretly taking inappropriate photographs of young girls at Splashtown, a local water park, prosecutors said.
At the time of his arrest, Cadena was on probation in a drunken driving case.
Police also seized hundreds of child pornography videos and still pictures in Cadena's possession. He also had hundreds of inappropriate pictures of young girls on his cell phone.
While he was free on bond in the improper photography case and on probation violation in the drunken driving case, Cadena was arrested at El Mercado on New Year's Eve 2011 for secretly taking pictures of a young woman.
Prior to sentencing, Prosecutor Nicole Thornbro told the judge that, "(Cadena) also had different types of pornography that I think was specifically to show that not only does he have an interest in looking at children, but he also fantasizes about being with children in a sexual way."
McGinty told Cadena, "I'm stunned by the enormity of your conduct and you are simply far too dangerous to leave out on the streets."
McGinty sentenced Cadena to nine years in prison on the pornography possession charge, four years for the probation violation charge and two years on the improper photography charge.
The judge ordered that the sentences are to run concurrently.
Charges in the New Year's Eve case are pending.