Gonzales County jury finds man guilty of continuous sexual abuse of young child

A former Gonzales County resident has been found guilty of sexually abusing a young child following a week-long trial at the Gonzales County Courthouse.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, a Gonzales County jury found Alfred Howard Jr., 48, guilty of one count of aggravated sexual assault and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a young child. Howard, who had lived in the Nixon-Smiley area for several years, had moved to Denver, Colo., around 2017 or 2018.
The Gonzales County grand jury indicted Howard in January 2020 after determining probable cause existed for felony charges and he was arrested in Denver later that year.

Howard rolled the dice and elected for the jury to assess his punishment. On Friday, Oct. 27, a jury of nine men and three women returned a verdict of 99 years in prison on the aggravated sexual assault charge (count 1) and life in prison on the continuous sexual abuse of a young child charge (count 2). 25th District Judge William Old III then sentenced Howard in accordance with the jury’s verdict.

“Gonzales County protects its children,” said County Attorney Paul Watkins. “I want to commend this jury for guaranteeing that this abuser will never hurt another child and for sending a strong message that Gonzales County jurors bring the maximum punishment for anyone convicted of sexually abusing a child.”

Due to the life conviction for continuous sexual abuse of a child, Howard is not eligible for parole and will remain behind bars for the rest of his natural life. This is a special aspect for sentencing of these types of sexual abuse cases. His cases are running concurrent, but the life sentence takes precedence.

Assistant County Attorneys David Smith and Carrie Moy prosecuted the case. Attorney James Reeves represented the defendant.