NEW BOSTON, Texas - After many hours of deliberation Friday, a Bowie County jury returned a guilty verdict for a Red Lick, Texas, man who sexually abused a young girl repeatedly over a period of years.
Nolan Dean "Buddy" Turner, 70, was sentenced to 30 years in a Texas prison. There is no parole under Texas law from any sentence imposed for continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14.
Turner sexually abused the girl on a regular basis beginning when she was in third or fourth grade in 2015 until a report was made to the Bowie County Sheriff's Office in May 2017, according to a probable cause affidavit. Turner was married to a relative of the girl until 2018, when the couple divorced.
Turner regularly babysat the girl after school and occasionally kept her when she was too sick to attend school. Turner abused the girl during the hours when his wife was at work, while the victim was suffering from strep throat and would insist on helping her change clothes on the days she had dance class.
The jury deliberated from about 11:30 a.m. until nearly 6 p.m. before returning with the guilty verdict. After hearing arguments concerning the punishment Turner should receive in the range of 25 to 99 years or life, the jury began sentencing deliberations.
Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter, who lead the prosecution, said Turner will have to live to 100 to see the outside of a prison.
"Because of the bravery of the victim and the jury's hard work, there is one less predator on our streets," Carter said.
Turner was represented by Texarkana lawyers Josh Potter and John Pickett.
Turner, who had been free on a $100,000 bond since his arrest in 2017, was taken into custody at the end of trial Friday evening. Fifth District Judge Bill Miller presided over the proceedings.