64-Year-Old Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Crimes Against Children

SWEETWATER, TX – A Nolan County Judge on Friday sentenced a 64-year-old man to life in prison for multiple child sex crimes.

According to the Sweetwater Police Department, on Friday, October 28, 2022, 64-year-old Chano Martinez Hernandez plead guilty to eight child sex crimes and was sentenced to life in prison by Judge Glen Harrison.

Hernandez plead guilty to charges including two counts of Possession of Child Pornography, five counts of Indecency with a Child by Contact, and one count of Sexual Performance of a Child.

“We are extremely pleased with the sentence imposed on Chano Hernandez,” Sweetwater Police Chief Bryan Sheridan said. “It sends a direct message to the community that these types of horrific crimes will not be tolerated in Nolan County. I would like to point out that Mr. Hernandez could still be sexually assaulting children if we didn’t have a citizen find his phone which contained illicit pictures of young children on it and report it to our Police Department. This is a perfect example of our citizens working with our Department to bring this type of predator to justice. I would also like to praise Officer Ughanze for his work investigating this case.”

The Sweetwater Police Department would like to thank interviewers with the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division Investigative Support Section, the Nolan County District Attorney’s Office, and the West Texas Children’s Advocacy Center for their work and assistance on this case.