Texas man avoids jail time in child sexual assault plea deal case

A Texas man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child will avoid prosecution on nine felony charges after striking a plea deal with a George Soros-backed Travis County prosecutor, according to a report.

Austin’s ABC affiliate KVUE Richard Leigh Bell, 37, has been charged with nine felonies, including one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, six counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child, police said. Those charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement that allowed Bell to plead guilty to injury to a child, a third-degree felony.

Under the agreement, Bell was sentenced to five years of deferred probation. The person must register as a sex offender and is prohibited from contacting the victim, her family or minors, according to KVUE. The claim did not include a prison sentence.

Outside the courtroom Monday, the victim’s father told KVUE he was surprised by the verdict and said prosecutors Efrain De La Fuente and Lorraine Garcia did not include him in discussions about the plea.

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“I was outraged when I learned that not only was this our first and last plea deal, but it was also our deal, whether I liked it or not,” he said.

The father, whose name was not released to protect the victim’s identity, said Bell expects a prison sentence.

“I think every parent would expect someone to rot in jail for doing something like this,” he told KVUE. “As time went on, I would expect a realistic plea deal to last at least years; long enough for you to serve some time in the prison you belong to if you have successfully committed acts of pedophilia.”

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Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza poses in front of the Austin skyline in a portrait from the county website. Garza has faced criticism over accusations that he aggressively prosecuted police officers accused of misconduct while being lenient on career criminals. (Travis County Prosecutor’s Office Website)

Suspension of sentencing in Texas allows defendants to avoid conviction if they successfully complete probation; however, any violation may trigger penalties based on the original charge. Bell’s probation conditions, including mandatory sex offender registration and no-contact restrictions, will remain in effect for the entire five-year period.

Fox News Digital reached out to Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza’s office but did not receive a response.

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Travis County, Texas District Attorney Jose Garza works as an activist in 2019. (Rick Kern/Getty Images for MoveOn.org Civil Action)

Garza, who took office in deep blue Travis County in 2021 after a campaign backed by progressive billionaire Soros, has vowed to “reimagine” criminal justice and prosecute police officers. He defended his record as district attorney, saying he “did what the voters of Travis County elected him to do”; He repaired our broken criminal justice system by standing with survivors, worked to end police use of excessive force, and prioritized treatment over incarceration for nonviolent drug crimes.

Critics argued that Garza’s office failed to advocate for victims and supported policies that made the city less safe.

He also faced scrutiny for aggressively suing police officers in a city still divided over the council’s 2020 decision to cut police funding.

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Those tensions came to a head in 2023, when Garza sparked outrage for attending the funeral of a fallen police officer — a move some called a “slap in the face.”