HOUSTON – A man convicted in multiple cases of sexual abuse of a child has been sentenced to 50 years in prison as part of a plea agreement.
Jody James Malone, 34, pleaded guilty to continuous sexual abuse of a child on Friday. According to a news release, the plea was part of an agreement that would spare “numerous child sexual abuse victims from being required to testify in trial.”
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The deal also ensure Malone would spend five decades in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the release. Malone will not be eligible for release until 2070.
“This defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison,” Special Victims Division Chief Shanna Redwine said. “Because of the strength of the investigation, we were able to secure this outcome without requiring his victims to appear publicly in court. This was a great relief to those children and their families. We are grateful for the good work of law enforcement in this case.”
Montgomery County Precinct 3 received a report that Malone -- who was on parole after being convicted of online solicitation of a minor in 2008 and serving 10 years of a 20-year prison sentence -- was communicating with multiple children in the county, the release said.
Officials said Malone was trying to get explicit images from the children and meet with them for sexual contact. After the initial report, investigators said they were able to build a case against Malone for sexually exploiting dozens of children using a variety of social media platforms.
“Parents, you’ve heard this before, but please hear it again: there are sexual predators in our community and the surrounding communities,” said District Attorney Brett Ligon. “They want access to your children, and they are cunning and relentless. Time and time again, we see these predators use social media platforms to entice, trap, and then prey on children. … Please warn your children and talk to them about these dangers.”
Officials said they found thousands of child pornography images in Malone’s possession. Authorities also confirmed that he had sexual contact with four victims.
“In all my many years as a prosecutor, I’ve never known of a child predator who endangered so many kids,” Assistant District Attorney Chris Seufert said. “This sentence makes it virtually certain that his days of hurting children are over.”