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WEDNESDAY • NOVEMBER 13, 2024
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 49 • No. 46 • $1.00
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Six accused Election results: Meyers defeats Patel in Precinct 3 race child abusers convicted or sentenced in October By Ken Fountain
KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Staff Reports Over the course of October, six accused child abusers in Fort Bend County were convicted and sent to prison for a combined 200 years, according to a news release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. Justin Ray Gonzalez, a 40-year-old Needville man, was convicted by a jury of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child or Children in the 240th District Court. Presiding Judge Surendran K. Pattel sentenced Gonzalez to 40 years confinement without the possibility of parole. Gregorio San Nicolas Torre, III pleaded guilty in August to Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and Indecency with a Child and elected for the Court to decide his punishment. Visiting Judge James H. Shoemake, sitting for the 400th District Court, sentenced the 42-yearold Houston man to 20 years in prison for the Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child case and 10 years for the Indecency with a Child offense after hearing testimony from both of Torre’s survivors. Shoemake also sentenced Adrian Antonio Garcia, 35, of Lake Jackson, to 25 years in prison for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child during a sentencing hearing following his plea of guilty in September. Michael Everett Gaines, a 24-year-old San Antonio man, was sentenced to 12 years in prison following his plea of guilty to the offense of Sexual Assault of a Child by Presiding Judge Chad Bridges in the 458th District Court. Juan Noe Melgar, 46, of Katy, was convicted by a 268 th District Court jury for Sexual Assault of a Child, after which the jury sentenced Melgar to the maximum of 20 years in prison. Paul Shannon Martinez, a 49-year-old Rosenberg man, was sentenced to 75 years in prison without parole for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child. Martinez pled guilty and was sentenced 400th District Court Presiding Judge Tameika Carter after a hearing on the evidence. Child Abuse Division Chief Suzy Morton said, “It is important to know there is no statute of limitations for sexual offenses committed against children and it is never too late to come forward if you were sexually abused as a child. Regardless of the outcome of a criminal case, the longterm well-being of survivors of child sexual abuse is most important. Our community
SEE ABUSERS PAGE 2
Republican Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, who has held the seat since 1996, easily won reelection over Democratic challenger Taral Patel in last week’s general election. In election results that were still unofficial at press time, Meyers garnered 44.271 votes, or 58/87 percent. to Patel’s 30,927 votes, or 41.13 percent, of votes cast. The Precinct 3 race was perhaps the most closely watched race in the county,
even gaining national media attention, after Patel, a former chief of staff to County Judge KP George and former Biden Administration official, was indicted earlier this year on eight felony and misdemeanor charges alleging he created fake social media personas in order to post false racist and xenophobic messages about himself, as well as a felony charge of online harassment. The charges against Patel remain ongoing. Meyers’ apparent victory is particularly significant after a Democratic majority
on Commissioners Court in 2022 approved a controversial new precinct map that significantly reshaped the Precinct 3 boundaries in order to favor a Democrat. Reached by phone the morning after the election, Meyers said that he was “gratified” that voters had returned him to office so that he could continue his work of making Fort Bend “a great place to live, work and play.” Meyers said he would continue the agenda he has pursued, particularly working with the Texas Legislature and state agen-
Republican Fort Bend Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers handily defeated Democratic challenger Taral Patel in his bid for reelection on November 5. Photo by Ken Fountain
cies to make infrastructure improvements and create ways to attract new industries and businesses to the county.
Although Meyers said he expected to win, especially
SEE ELECTION PAGE 2
PAYING RESPECT
While the weather on Sunday was fairly bleak, the red, white, and blue of 2,000 U.S. flags still bright at the “Honoring Heroes in Fort Bend County" display at the University of Houston-Sugar Land campus during the three-day Veterans Day weekend. Hosted by the Exchange Club of Sugar Land and partnering organizations, the display and related events paid tribute to individuals currently serving in the U.S. military, veterans, fallen servicemen and women, first responders, educators, coaches, and other personal heroes in people's lives. Photo by Ken Fountain
GHP: Houston region younger, more diverse than its peers Staff Reports Editor’s Note: In its “Economy at a Glance” report for November, the Greater Houston Partnership - the regional chamber of commerce - discusses the latest edition of the annual American Community Survey released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The main body of the report is presented here with permission. Each fall, the U.S. Census Bureau releases the American Community Survey (ACS), its annual snapshot of the nation’s
economic, demographic, housing, and social characteristics. By examining ACS data over time, one can see shifts in the population. This is the second of a threepart series. The October issue examined ACS data for 2013 and 2023 and the changes in the Houston region over that time. In this issue, the Partnership examines ACS data for the nation’s 20 most populous metro areas, exploring similarities and differences between Houston and its peers. The December
issue will examine the differences in the 10 counties that comprise the Houston metro area. Metro Houston includes Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto,
and Waller Counties. In a nutshell, Houston is older, better educated, and more ethnically diverse. One in four Houstonians was born outside the U.S., the fastest growing age group is the 65 and older population, and one
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in seven Houstonians moved to a different home in ‘23. However, fewer Houstonians are having babies, a large portion of the population re-
SEE GHP PAGE 2