MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Texas state representatives are calling for new legislation after a Waco attorney convicted of child sex crimes received 60 days in jail and was not required to register as a sex offender..
- Waco attorney Adam Dean Hoffman received a plea deal from Attorney General Ken Paxton resulting in just 60 days in jail for child sex crimes, with no requirement to register as a sex offender.
- Two Texas state representatives, Pat Curry and Jeff Leach, are calling the deal a betrayal and pushing for new laws to protect victims in similar cases.
- Governor Greg Abbott is reportedly looking to create a state prosecutor position to address local prosecutor accountability.
- Hoffman remains eligible to practice law in Texas, but Curry says his office is pressuring the State Bar to move quickly on Hoffman's removal.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Two Texas state representatives are calling a plea deal for a Waco attorney convicted of child sex crimes a betrayal to victims and the community — and are now pushing for new laws to address what they call a failure of accountability.
Waco attorney Adam Dean Hoffman received a plea deal from Attorney General Ken Paxton that resulted in 30 days in jail. As part of the deal, Hoffman is not required to register as a sex offender — a condition advocates for the victim's family are calling a sweetheart deal and a slap in the face to the victim and his family.
A close family friend of the child sexually abused by Hoffman spoke out about the outcome by reading a letter from the victim's mother.
"My son deserved protection, instead every authority protected his abuser."
State Representatives Pat Curry and Jeff Leach from District 67 are now pushing for new laws to protect victims in cases like this one.
"In this case, the prosecution failed to let the victims family and the victim know that he did not have to testify face to face in the first trial," Curry said.
Leach described the abuse Hoffman carried out.
"A Texas child was systematically groomed targeted abused and assaulted by Adam Hoffman," Leach said.
Community members and advocates for the family are raising concerns about what Hoffman's release without sex offender registration could mean for public safety.
"Who is the next child that Adam Hoffman is going to abuse how will anyone know that they are living next to an admitted child abuser," Melissa Dieterich said.
Leach called the outcome unacceptable.
"This is totally unacceptable for this to have happened and the people of Texas should be outraged," Leach said.
Leach went so far as calling this the most reckless and negligent case he has seen from the Attorney General's office. Community members echoed that frustration.
"Why are people the people in charge of protecting us getting away with this," one person said.
Curry acknowledged the optics of the situation.
"It's certainly not lost on me how suspicious this looks," Curry said.
Advocates for the family are also calling for Paxton to be held accountable.
"Ken Paxton must be held accountable."
Curry said Governor Greg Abbott is looking to create a state prosecutor position, which would address local prosecutor accountability. Leach is calling for a system that works for victims instead of against them.
Hoffman is still listed as eligible to practice law in Texas on the State Bar website. Curry said his office is putting pressure on the State Bar to move quickly on Hoffman's removal. Curry also said that if Hoffman moves to Nebraska following his release and applies to the bar there, he would do everything in his power to keep that from happening.
I reached out to the Attorney General's office for comment but did not hear back.
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