AUSTIN, Texas — Two men from Hays County are going to prison after both were convicted of sexually abusing children.
A Hays County jury convicted 34-year-old Joseph Pavelka IX, formerly of San Marcos, on Aug. 19. Pavelka was found guilty on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact, after sexually abusing a female victim between the ages of 6 and 7 while he was 17 and 18 years old.
The evidence in the case showed that the victim did not immediately reveal the abuse due to Pavelka threatening the her, including telling her that she would “get in trouble” and that she would not be believed.
During the trial, the prosecution showed the jury the victim’s childhood journals that described Pavelka's abuse and the emotional trauma she experienced because of the abuse. After issuing the verdict, the jury verbalized their belief in the victim and their hope she will find closure.
Pavelka was sentenced to six years in prison on all three counts, which will run concurrently. He will also have to register as a sex offender once he's released.
On Oct. 18, a jury convicted 59-year-old Randall Mosbey of continuous sexual abuse of a child and invasive visual recording.
Evidence showed that Mosbey sexually abused a child over the course of several years starting when the child was around 7 years old. He also placed hidden cameras in the victim's bathroom and bedroom. The victim eventually came forward and revealed the extent of the abuse to the detective during the investigation.
The jury also discovered that Mosbey had been court-martialed from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1992 after being found guilty of sexual offenses against a child.
Mosbey was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole under Texas’s Auto-Life statute.
