SAN ANTONIO – In the span of three days, just as many child sex assault cases were heard in Bexar County courtrooms.
Jared Anderson, a former high school teacher, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of sexual performance of a child.
On Tuesday, James Artie Shaw’s trial on super aggravated sexual assault of a child began.
The trial of Barry Coggins began Wednesday, he is facing charges of continuous sexual assault of a child.
All examples, Bexar County District Attorney Nicholas “Nico” La Hood said, of his aggressive approach to prosecuting sex crimes that victimize children.
“If we believe, as a community, that they are truly our future then we need to act like it and we need to protect them,” La Hood said.
La Hood said that his aggressive approach has been effective, citing an increase in prosecution and conviction rates since he took office.
“We’re preparing our prosecutors for trial and doing a lot more training in the office,” La Hood said. “And we’re making sure that those advocacy agencies that surround our criminal justice system know that we are serious about protecting our children.”
He said that prosecuting sex cases involving children is a delicate balance.
‘We want to make sure that citizens are not accused wrongfully for hurting children,” La Hood said. “And we want to make sure that children’s voices are heard also.”
“That’s a very hard balance,” he said.
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