Septuagenarian Gets Deferred Adjudication After Admitting to Touching Teen

SAN ANGELO, TX – A 71-year-old Tom Green County man was given probation Monday after pleading guilty to molesting a teen girl.

According to the court documents, on Aug. 9, a plea hearing was held at the Tom Green County Courthouse for the case of Francisco Lamas vs. the State of Texas. The case began in Apr. of 2019 after Lamas was arrested for indecency with a child by sexual contact.

Deputies with the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office began investigating after a 15-year-old girl made an outcry of sexual assault in Oct. of 2018. The child claimed that she had originally met the 71-year-old man in Sep. of 2017. When the two met the child was 13 and was out walking around the neighborhood. Lamas drove by and offered the child a ride.

One month later Lamas contacted the child on her cell phone and arranged to pick the child up. Lamas then drove to the residence in a sliver pickup and picked the child up. The two then went to the his home on the 6400 block of FM 380. While at his home, Lamas allegedly pulled his pants down, pulled out his genitals and rubbed them on the child. 

The deputies found a photo of Lamas from a Facebook account that had added the child. They then went to his home and found the silver truck parked out front. The registration on the truck came back to Lamas.

After speaking with Lamas, deputies checked his phone and found six phone calls between him and the child. The entire time Lamas was aware the child was under the age of 18.

He was booked into the Tom Green County Jail on Apr. 25, 2019 and was released the following day on a $75,000 bond. Less than two months later, on Jun. 5, 2019, a going off bond warrant was issued for Lamas after an anonymous caller tipped off his bondsmen that he left the county in violation of the terms of his bond.

Lamas was arrested for the warrant but released a few days later, on Jun. 11, 2019. One month later, on Jul. 11, 2019, Lamas was indicted by a Tom Green County Grand Jury for indecency with a child by sexual contact. A jury trial was set for May 18, 2020.  Due to COVID-19 the trial was cancelled and postponed.

Following a year of court hearings the two parties agreed to a plea deal. On Aug. 9, 2020 at 10 a.m. Francisco Lamas pleaded guilty to indecency with a child by sexual contact. In return for the guilty plea, Lamas will be put on a 7-year deferred adjudication.