On February 7th 2019, a Burnet County jury found Granite Shoals resident and local business owner Jackie Lett guilty of 17 counts of Sexual Assault of a Child. The jury assessed the defendant’s punishment at 15 years on two counts and probation on the other 15 counts. After presiding over the trial and hearing all the evidence, Judge J. Allan Garrett “stacked” those prison sentences for a total of 30 years and ruled that the probation term will not begin until the defendant has completed his prison sentences. The punishment range for each count was 2 years to 20 years in prison with the possibility of probation.
The victim was a teenage member of the Defendant’s household. The Defendant sexually abused the victim for almost 5 months before the victim felt that she was safely able to give an outcry against her abuser. After the sexual abuse came to light, the Defendant sent multiple incriminating text messages to the victim’s mother taking responsibility for the offenses. Those text messages became central to the State’s case.
Assistant District Attorneys Amanda Dillon and Erin Toolan prosecuted the case. Defense attorney Austin Shell represented Lett. The trial began Monday, February 4th and concluded late Thursday evening.
Prosecutors Dillon and Toolan are satisfied with the jury’s verdict and are thankful that the jury believed the victim. Dillon further said, “Jackie Lett is a sexual predator that used the innocent trust of a child for his own needs. The victim was brave enough to come forward with the report of her sexual abuse. Without her personal strength, we would not have been able to bring this abuser to justice. We are grateful for the hard work of the Granite Shoals Police Department and multiple additional investigators on the case. We are proud that the jury held Lett accountable for what he did.”