Two Sulphur Springs men were sentenced this week in the 8th Judicial District Court on one sexual assault charge each.
Fernando Santana-Vasquez made an open plea in court to a sexual assault of a child, who was 15 at the time of the offense. Eighth Judicial District Judge Eddie Northcutt sentenced the 51-year-old Sulphur Springs man to 4 years of imprisonment and fined him $4,000 on the sexual assault of a child case on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The range of punishment for the offense, under Texas law, is 2-20 years imprisonment in a state penitentiary, with an optional fine of up to $10,000. Deferred adjudication probation was also an option for the court under the law.
Assistant District Attorney Zach Blackmon asked the judge to sentence Santana-Vasquez to prison time while the defense argued for probation.
Santana-Vasquez, who is also known by Fernando Santana-Vazquez and Fernando Santana, has remained in Hopkins County jail since deputies arrested him Aug. 4, 2020, for impeding traffic by stopping the vehicle he was driving for several seconds in a construction zone on State Highway 11 west, according to arrest and jail reports. The Sulphur Springs man was later served with warrants for one aggravated sexual assault of a child charge and three sexual assault of a child charges, which 2020 arrest reports alleged occurred on June 1, 2020. He was indicted in October on four sexual assault charges according to court records.
As part of his punishment Santa-Vasquez will have to register as a sex offender annually for the rest of his life, per Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Failure to do so would result in a separate third-degree felony offense punishable upon conviction for 2-10 years with an optional fine up to $10,000.
On Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, Judge Northcutt sentenced Jose Juan Eduardo Santana to 10 years imprisonment and fined him $5,000 for sexual assault; the victim was 20 years old at the time of the offense. Santana entered a open plea in court and the judge assessed punishment on the charge.
The range of punishment for sexual assault, offense under Texas law, is 2-20 years imprisonment in a state penitentiary with an optional fine up to $10,000. Deferred adjudication probation was an option for the court under the law. ADA Blackmon reportedly asked Newsom to sentence Santana to serve time in prison while Santana’s attorney argued for probation.
The 31-year-old Sulphur Springs man was originally arrested on July 23, 2020, by deputies on three sexual assault warrants. He was released from jail two days later on $150,000 in bond, after securing the $50,000 bond set per charge, according to arrest and jail reports. Santana was indicted in November 2020 on all three charges, according to court reports.
Santana also will have to register as a sex offender annually for the rest of his life due to the sex crime conviction, in accordance with Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Failure to do so would result in a separate third-degree felony offense punishable upon conviction to a term of imprisonment in a state penitentiary for 2-10 years with an optional fine up to $10,000.
