An 18-year-old Nash, Texas, man entered pleas of not guilty Tuesday afternoon to 10 felonies related to the alleged sexual abuse of four 13- and 14-year-old girls.
Gary Tanner Royal, who goes by Tanner, appeared with Deborah Moore of the Bowie County Public Defenders Office for arraignment before 102nd District Judge Bobby Lockhart. Moore entered pleas of not guilty on Royal's behalf to five counts of sexual assault of a child and five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Royal is facing the possibility of multiple life sentences. Aggravated sexual assault of a child is punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison. Sexual assault of a child is punishable by two to 20 years in prison.
Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp told Lockhart that she intends to take at least one of the cases back before a Bowie County grand jury. That case is currently charged as a second-degree felony sexual assault and Crisp said she believes the alleged facts of the case meet the elements required for a charge of first-degree felony aggravated sexual assault of a child.
"The child in that case is under the age of 14," Crisp said.
Crisp said the case may also require special hearings in advance of trial to address the admissibility of possible testimony from another alleged victim not listed in the Bowie County indictments pending against Royal. Crisp said Royal may have been charged with a sexual offense in Oklahoma as a juvenile and said the state may need an order from Lockhart to get copies of the records from that state.
Royal allegedly committed the crimes in the first half of this year. One of the alleged victims reported that Royal sent her a text while she was being questioned about the alleged abuse encouraging her to keep silent. Others reported forcible assaults including bruising so severe that school coaching staff were alarmed and contacted a girl's parents.
Lockhart scheduled Royal to return to court Nov. 6. He is currently being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $300,000.