San Angelo Perv Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison

SAN ANGELO, TX -- After two days of testimony and hours of deliberation justice has been served for Sandy, a San Angelo girl who faced a horrible experience at the young age of eleven.

This morning a Tom Green County jury found Mack A. Porter Jr guilty of two counts related to sexual assault and indecency.

After hearing testimony from multiple witnesses, the jury spent a few hours deliberating on the appropriate sentence in this case.

From the prosecution, the jury heard from multiple law enforcement officials and the victim, Sandy. (As a reminder the victim's name has been altered to protect her privacy.)

During her testimony, Sandy had a bit of difficulty expressing her feelings but did disclose that after the assault she had a hard time dealing with everything that happened.

From the defense, Porter's family testified on his behalf. His sisters talked about his character and the excellent relationship he held with their children. 

After their testimony, all that was left were the closing arguments presented by the attorneys.

The defense attorney focused his energy on convincing the 12-person jury panel that his client wasn't violent, even as his ex-wife testified there had been several instances in which he had become physical against her. She would say that as a father, Porter was excellent at bonding with his children but had trouble keeping up with the family's finances. The former couple shares four children.

Mr. Stewart kept his argument relatively short and simply asked the jury to consider the minimum sentence, which in the case of a first-degree felony is five years.

District Attorney Allison Palmer opted to not recommend a specific sentence but asked the jury to remember that all the evidence presented was proof that a fifth-grade girl had been extremely brave in sharing her story, even when the price was being separated from her beloved brother.

"Her life changed forever. What is the appropriate punishment for that?" Palmer asked the jury. "Consider what sort of justice [Sandy] deserves.

After a short deliberation, the jury sentenced Porter to 11 years in the TDCJ for the first-degree felony of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Younger than 14 Years of Age and 7 years for the third-degree felony of Indecency with a Child by Exposure.

Porter will serve his sentences concurrently and may be eligible for parole after serving half of the 11-year sentence.