A Missouri City man was convicted on June 30 and sentenced to 60 years in state prison for failing to register as a sex offender.
Brain Walker, 53, was convicted of two charges of failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements, a second-degree felony, in the 268th District Court before Visiting Judge James Shoemake, according to a news release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors Craig Priesmeyer and Alycia Curtis presented showing that the Missouri City Police Department received information about an unregistered sex offender residing in the city in June 2020.
Police, assisted by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and U.S. Marshals. launched an investigation, identifying Walker and his failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
According to Priesmeyer, authorities learned from multiple sources that Walker had been living in the city for years without making any attempts to notify law enforcement. Once officers learned of Walker’s presence, they gave him an opportunity to properly register; however, Walker was uncooperative, insisting that the laws of Texas did not apply to him, according to the release.
Shortly thereafter, Walker fled the state. He was ultimately apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Arizona and returned to Texas to face trial for the charges.
During the trial, jurors learned that Walker was required to register as a sex offender because of three 2003 convictions in Arizona for the crime of sexual conduct with a minor, an offense similar to sexual assault of a child in Texas. Records presented by prosecutors showed that the only time Walker registered as a sex offender was in 2007 with the El Paso Police Department before telling authorities that he was moving to Mexico.
“He knew exactly what he was required to do. He signed, initialed, and even put his own thumbprint on the paperwork, acknowledging his registration requirements. And yet, he continuously refused to accept responsibility for his past and present actions,” Priesmeyer said in the release.
Jurors deliberated approximately one hour before finding Walker guilty in both cases.
After the verdicts, the jury then learned that Walker was previously prosecuted for additional felony offenses, including indecency with a child by sexual contact, aggravated assault, unlawful flight from a law enforcement vehicle, and attempted prohibited acts by a sex offender.
“The sex offender registration requirement was designed to protect the public from sex offenders re-offending. The defendant’s actions and criminal history are the very reason this law was created. Justice has been rendered in this case and the defendant will no longer be a threat to public safety,” said District Attorney Brian Middleton
“Our community is extremely fortunate to have dedicated and knowledgeable investigators from the Missouri City Police Department, the Texas Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service, who work tirelessly to identify and apprehend non-compliant sex offenders living among us. Their efforts coupled with today’s sentence sends a clear message that we will not tolerate those who disregard their obligations and endanger our community,” Priesmeyer said.
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