Standing on the steps of the McLennan County Courthouse on Friday, State Rep. Pat Curry, R-Waco, said he was appalled by the outcome of Adam Hoffman’s, which was handled by the Attorney General’s office.
"This is a travesty that we, as lawmakers and as protectors of Texans, have to stand up and fight for and make sure that these types of corrupt situations don’t happen again," Curry said.
Hoffman was originally charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child – a first-degree felony with up to life in prison.
According to KWTX’s coverage from the first trial, jurors were bitterly divided and the young victim did not want to testify for a second time, leading prosecutors to strike a plea deal.
That deal, which included minimal jail time and no sex offender registration, has sparked public outcry.
In response, Curry said he is working with the victim’s family on new laws to help prevent that outcome from happening again.
"If someone admits to a sexual assault of a child crime, of any type, it needs to be guaranteed registration. Then you get into the minimum sentencing requirements based upon the situation and the occurrences, those are a little more tricky," Curry explained as possible solutions.
He said he also hopes to address victim testimony in child abuse cases, hoping to prevent traumatized victims from being re-traumatized during the trial proceedings, but did not provide specifics to how any of the new laws would work.
" What happened in this case is not just preventing justice for [Hoffman’s] victim and survivor in this case, but it’s also putting other children at risk," said State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-McKinney, chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence, who joined Curry in Waco.
“Victims and survivors should know that the system is going to work for them and protect them and empower them, not work against them,” Leach added.
Leach also invited Attorney General Ken Paxton to answer questions about the Hoffman case before the judiciary committee in an openly published letter earlier this month.
Until Friday, Leach said he had received no response. That afternoon, Paxton’s office responded in a letter that has since been posted on X, stating in part “our office was prepared to re-try the case and seek a conviction” and the decision to plea down “was made entirely in the best interest of the child involved.”
The letter concludes “our hope is that you and others who have taken an interest in this case would respect the child’s privacy and his decision on how to move forward with his life.”
Leach and Curry are among many political opponents of Paxton, and local officials, calling the outcome of the case into question. At the press conference Friday, Curry said this case pushed him over the edge to endorse U.S. Senator John Cornyn in his reelection campaign against Paxton.
Got a tip? Email Molly-Jo Tilton at Molly-jo_tilton@baylor.edu.
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