A pre-trial hearing is set for this morning for a man charged with sexually abusing his two step-daughters for two years.
The hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. today in the 161st District Court of Judge John Smith. Court records list Tony Chavez as David Anthony Cortez’s court-appointed attorney.
A report of sexual abuse against the defendant, 34-year-old Cortez, was first made to the Ector County Sheriff’s Office in December of 2016, a probable cause affidavit stated. The offense reportedly occurred several times between the dates of 2015 and through 2016 in the 12800 block of Jasper Avenue.
The report detailed that the two victims were Cortez’s step-daughters, ages 7 and 5 at the time the report was made. They had initially told their mother about the incident, and later again during a forensic interview through Harmony Home Children’s Advocacy Center.
An exam conducted by a sexual assault nurse examiner confirmed the two girls’ reports, the document stated.
Cortez was interviewed by detectives and admitted to the offense, the affidavit detailed.
Deputies charged Cortez in January 2017 with two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, and Cortez was indicted by a grand jury on the charges in March 2017.
Jail records show Cortez was taken to the Ector County Detention Center in January 2017 and was released more than a year later on Jan. 25 on two bonds totaling $150,000.
Should Cortez be found guilty of the charges, he could face anywhere between five and 99 years in prison.
Court records show Cortez has a jury trial scheduled for 9 a.m. April 2.
