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Man sentenced to 75 years for aggravated child sexual assault Staff Reports A Rosenberg man was sentenced to 75 years in state prison earlier this month after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Paul Shannon Martinez, 49, was sentenced by 400th District Court Presiding Judge Tameika Carter during an October 2 punishment hearing, according to a news release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors Jessica Ramos and Charann Thompson presented evidence that in February 2022, a young man disclosed to college police that he had been sexually abused when he was a child for a number of years by Martinez. The victim provided police a copy of a recording of the last sexual assault that he had kept as evidence, knowing one day he would have the strength to come forward. During the punishment hearing, prosecutors introduced evidence that the defendant began sexually abusing another child after this victim left for college. “Monsters walk among us,” lead prosecutor Jessica Ramos said in the release. “The defendant disguised himself as a good family man and a passionate member of his church to hide the evil that lay within. When this abuse first came to light, those close to Martinez labeled the children as liars, not knowing the strong evidence of guilt the State had against him.” Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child is a first-degree felony punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in prison and a fine up to $10,000. Martinez will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and serve at least half of his sentence before being considered for parole. “This defendant has been effectively handed a life sentence,” District Attorney Brian Middleton said. “For all the years he stole from his victims, I hope there is some consolation knowing the rest of his life is forfeited to the prison authorities, and he will never hurt another child again.” Child Advocates of Fort Bend can be contacted at 281-344-5100 or through the website, www.cafb.org.
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 49 • No. 42 • $1.00
George’s attorney seeks quashing of indictment By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
A hearing is set Monday on a legal filing in which an attorney for Fort Bend County Judge KP George argues that the judge’s indictment on a misdemeanor charge alleging he knew about and possibly participated in a “fake hate” scheme was improper under a recent ruling by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office said that it had already anticipated the challenge and that the ruling
An attorney for Fort Bend County Judge KP George will argue in a Monday hearing that George’s misdemeanor indictment should be dismissed, citing a recent court ruling. File photo by Ken Fountain
has not yet been made permanent and is under appeal. On September 26, a Fort Bend County grand jury handed down an indictment against George on a single count of misrepresentation of identity of a political candidate, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge alleges that George knew that his former chief of staff, Taral Patel, was using fake social media accounts to post false, racist social media messages during George’s 2022 reelection campaign.
The indictment alleges that George may have directed Patel to add language to his own social media postings reacting to the false attacks. Patel, who is the current Democratic candidate for the Fort Bend Precinct 3 Commissioner seat, had already been indicted on four felony and four misdemeanor counts related to his own alleged use of fake
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Patel makes appearance in felony cases
Taral Patel, left, the Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner, appears with his attorney on felony charges on Monday. Photo by Ken Fountain
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORRTBENDSTAR.COM
A week before early inperson voting begins in the November election, Taral Patel, the Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner, appeared briefly Monday in the Fort Bend County courtroom where he faces four felony counts of online impersonation. It was the first time Patel
appeared in court on the felony charges after earlier waving arraignment. He was arraigned September 13 on four misdemeanor charges of online misrepresentation of identity in another Fort Bend County courtroom. A hearing on those charges is set for November 12. Patel was indicted September 3 by a Fort Bend County grand jury on the eight total charges related to his race for the commission-
er’s court seat. Last week’s court appearance at the Fort Bend Justice Center in Richmond was Patel’s since the first charges were filed against him in June. Like his earlier arraignment in the misdemeanor case, Patel’s appearance on Monday was brief. He and his Houston attorney Frank Yeveryno didn’t responding to reporters’ questions as they walked briskly into the 434th District courtroom of
Judge J. Christian Bacerra. After only a few minutes, the discovery hearing was reset to December 6 and Patel quickly left the courthouse. Later, after dealing with other cases, Yeveryno again declined to answer reporters’ questions. The indictments came after a nearly year-long investigation by the Public Integrity Office of the Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Rangers
of Patel, a former chief of staff to County Judge KP George and Biden White House employee who scored a slim majority in a fiveperson Democratic primary in March. Patel, who is an IndianAmerican and a Hindu, was arrested and charged in June with felony and misdemeanor counts of online imperson-
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HAR: Housing market shows signs of stability in September Staff Reports
Paul Shannon Martinez, 49, has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child. Courtesy Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office
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The Greater Houston housing market showed signs of stability in September after recent market fluctuations, according to the Houston Association of Realtors. Home sales rebounded, prices held steady and inventory remained sufficient to meet buyer demand. These positive indicators point to a more balanced market. In its September 2024 Housing Market Update, HAR said single-family home sales across the Greater Houston area rose 1.7 percent year-over-year with 6,973 units sold compared
to 6,858 last September. Inventory expanded from a 3.4-months supply to 4.4 months over the last 12 months, remaining unchanged from the previous month and the highest since September 2012. Homes prices have shown signs of stabilization as well. The average price remained relatively flat at $415,435, while the median price edged up by 1.1 percent to $335,000. The housing segment with homes priced between $250,000 and $499,999, which represented 59.7 percent of all home sales in September, had the strongest
performance, with sales 4.2 percent above where they were during the same time last year. That was followed by the segment that consisted of homes priced below $100,000 which saw sales increase 3.5 percent, and the luxury end of the market ($1 million+) saw a 2.0 percent increase in home sales. All other housing segments experienced a decline in sales in September. Rentals of single-family homes experienced a slowdown in leasing activity for the first time this year. HAR
SEE HOUSING PAGE 5
The Houston area’s housing market showed signs of stability in September, according to the Houston Association of Realtors. File photo by Ken Fountain