HOUSTON – A Montgomery County man will spend the next five decades in prison after being convicted of continuously abusing a young child he had spent years grooming.
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Bernabe Mendiola was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a young child after a four-day trial. He was sentenced to 50 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice without the possibility of parole.
Sexual abuse conviction
The backstory:
According to Montgomery County District Court, Mendiola developed a relationship with the child in late 2020, building trust by stepping into a father-figure role.
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Over the next several years, Mendiola exploited the trust to repeatedly abuse the victim while the child was under the age of 14. Prosecutors claimed Mendiola groomed the child into believing the behavior was normal, telling the victim, “This is what dads do to their sons.”
In 2023, the victim’s mother noticed concerning changes in her child’s behavior, including sadness and anger. After pushing for answers, the years of abuse were reported.
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The trial began on Aug. 17 and on Aug. 20, a jury found Mendiola guilty.