NEW BOSTON, Texas-Jury selection is scheduled for this morning at the Bowie County Courthouse for a man accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a young girl.
Rickey Willis, 55, is accused of continuously molesting the girl at residences in Texarkana and New Boston, according to a probable-cause affidavit used to create the following account. The allegations surfaced during a May 2017 doctor's visit for the alleged victim and led to an investigation.
Willis is described in the affidavit as the boyfriend of the alleged victim's mother.
The girl described being assaulted on numerous occasions and in various ways.
The girl, now 11, reported the abuse occurred for several years and included painful, forcible assaults.
Willis is charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14. The offense is punishable by 25 to 99 years or life in a Texas prison.
Willis pleaded guilty in 1991 to first-degree sexual abuse in Miller County, Ark., and was sentenced to eight years in prison as part of a plea bargain, according to court records.
Willis is represented by Texarkana lawyer Bart Craytor. First Assistant District Attorney Mike Shepherd and Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter are prosecuting. Overseeing the trial is 202nd District Judge John Tidwell.
Willis is being held in the Bowie County jail. Bail is set at $200,000.