ETX man gets 60 years for sexual assault of a child
Posted/updated on: August 3, 2025 at 9:19 am
LINDEN — According to our news partner KETK, a Hughes Springs man was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 on Wednesday and has been sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Vincent Riddle was arrested on March 24 and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14, according to Cass County Jail records. The Cass County Criminal District Attorney’s Office said Riddle’s trial was scheduled to start in front of a jury on Wednesday morning, however, the defense and prosecution reached a plea agreement before opening statements could begin.
The court held a preliminary hearing to decide who the proper ‘outcry witness’ would be in this case in regards to evidence. The DA’s office said hearsay evidence is usually inadmissible, but Texas law allows exceptions to the hearsay rule for this certain type of testimony.
“Under Texas law, the first adult who the child told about the abuse in sufficient detail is allowed to testify about what the child told them,” the DA’s office said.
The first adult to learn about the abuse in this case was a forensic investigator with the Winnsboro Children’s Advocacy Center. The investigator testified about the details that were shared by the victim during an October 2023 investigation.
Riddle’s original charge of continuous sexual abuse of a young child would have landed him between 25 and 99 years in prison or a life sentence without the possibility of parole, but he ultimately received a 60 year sentence.
His current charge is considered aggravated; meaning he will need to serve at least half the prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
“We are so thankful justice was served in this case and that we were able to resolve it with a very stiff prison sentence and with the finality and closure that a guilty plea brings. The victim is an incredibly strong and brave young girl and without her coming forward and being ready and willing to take that stand and face her abuser, this plea would not have happened. We are so proud of her and happy that she can now start the healing process.”
First Assistant Nick Ross
