A Fredericksburg man charged with sexually assaulting a minor could spend up to 26 years in prison after accepting a plea deal, prosecutors said.
Under the agreement approved by 451st state District Judge Kirsten Cohoon, Patrick Conger, 33, received two 13-year prison sentences on charges of sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact, officials said.
Both offenses are second-degree felonies with a range of two to 20 years behind bars under Texas law. Conger was sentenced Oct. 31, according to a prepared release from the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said the offenses occurred in 2018 but were not reported to the Kendall County Sheriff ’s Office until December 2022 because of a delayed outcry.
The victim told investigators she both postponed her outcry and also recanted it earlier because she felt guilt and embarrassment.
In 2018, Conger — 28 at the time — grew fond of a 13-year-old girl, according to Andrew Fields, assistant criminal district attorney.
In November of that year, the defendant began grooming the victim, investigators said.
Fields said this led to flirting and hugs, then kissing and sexual activity persisting for several months.
Eventually, the victim made a “vague outcry” to a relative and Child Protective Services became involved, according to prosecutors.
However, when asked by CPS about the offenses, the teen initially denied an illicit relationship, investigators said. In December 2022, the victim, now an adult, contacted the Sheriff’s Office and reported the activity.
The victim’s story was corroborated by previously recorded sexually explicit phone calls from the defendant to the victim obtained by the District Attorney’s Office.
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