Boy, 14, avoids jail after sexually assaulting 4-year-old girl

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX (KTRK) -- A 14-year-old boy has been found guilty in the aggravated sexual assault of a girl who was just four years old, but a judge has decided he won't spend any time behind bars.

Instead, the teen was sentenced Tuesday to probation until his 18th birthday by a judge in the Montgomery County Juvenile Court. The boy was on trial for two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and was found guilty by a jury after eight hours of testimony.

"It is always difficult to present a case that relies heavily on the testimony of a very young victim, like the brave 4-year-old girl, now 5, who was abused in this case. I can't imagine what it must be like for someone so young to have to talk about these things to 12 strangers, while the perpetrator sits just a few feet away," Montgomery County District Attorney J D Lambright said in a prepared statement.

Prosecutors initially wanted to send the teen behind bars, but a judge determined that the law mandates his punishment can't be stricter than probation.

"We had hoped that, if given probation for two first degree felonies committed on a 4 year-old child, the length of the probation would have been significantly longer," said Lambright. "The perpetrator could have been placed on probation for up to ten years. Given the sentence the judge imposed, he will only be on probation for a little over three years since he is nearing 15 now. We strongly urged the court to consider a lengthy disposition based on additional information presented during the hearing, but in the end it is up to the court. We will respect the judge's ruling."