Man sentenced after touching an East Texas child

CASS COUNTY — Our news partner KETK is reporting that an Arkansas man has been sentenced to 40 years after touching an East Texas child while he and his fiancé visited her family’s home.

The Cass County Criminal District Attorney said that Dillon Austin Venson, 24 of Pocahontas, AR., was found guilty of two counts of indecency with a child by contact and not guilty on an aggravated charge. Venson was sentenced to a total of 40 years in prison and will not be eligible for parole until he has served half the time, along with a $10,000 fine on each charge. According to the DA’s office, during the spring and summer of 2023, Venson and his fiancé visited the victim and her family at their home in Queen City.

During the first occasion, the victim younger than 14, woke up to Venson touching her leg and moving his hand to her private area the document stated, the DA’s office said. He then proceeded to touch her private area over her underwear.

In the second incident, the victim and Venson were watching a movie in her family’s living room when he tried to touch her again. According to the DA, the victim testified that she left the living room before Venson went any further.

During the final incident, Venson reportedly grabbed the victim’s hand and forced her to touch his private parts.

The document said the victim didn’t immediately come forward and report the abuse until her mother found a text from her daughter to Venson. The text said that he needed to focus on his fiancé rather than herself. When the mother asked about the text, her daughter reportedly admitted that Venson had been putting his hands down her pants.

The document says that the victim and mother testified about the relationship between Venson and the family, including the text messages between the victim and Venson after the inappropriate behavior was discovered.

Afterwards, law enforcement was called and the victim was taken to Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center where a forensic interview took place. During the interview, the victim reportedly made an outcry that detailed several acts of sexual abuse.

“This case is a prime example of how difficult it is for child victims to come
forward about the abuse they are suffering, especially when they know it will tear their
family apart. And on top of that, the process of coming forward and having to deal with
the criminal case is not easy and causes additional trauma. But we are extremely
grateful and proud of the victim for having the courage to come forward and face her abuser
in court and let the jury know what he did. Because of her, there is one less child
predator on the streets.”
Assistant District Attorney Nick Ross