Child Writes Letter to God That Leads to Arrest of Pedophile
Prayers can come in many forms. This one was written as a letter to God.
KTXA reports that “the parent of a child sexually assaulted by Mark Elliott Jones, 49, found a letter the victim wrote to God disclosing the abuse.”
Any parent would be devastated by such a discovery. Thankfully, these parents took action.
During the course of an investigation by McKinney Police Department Detective Zachary Craven, it was revealed there was not only one victim, but two. At the time of the disclosure, they were ages 10 and 14.
Jones had access to the children and abused them over a period of years. One parent found the letter their daughter had written and it led to Jones’ arrest.
The victims were forensically interviewed by specially trained professionals at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County. These interviews are designed to reduce the risk of retraumatizing child victims through the interview process and reduce the number of times they are questioned by authorities.
This past week, Collin County District Attorney‘s office posted this release on their website and Facebook page.
“District Attorney Greg Willis announced that Mark Elliott Jones, 49, of McKinney, Texas, was sentenced to 35 years in prison without the possibility of parole for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child.”
“‘It is a sad day in the community when we learn that a sexual predator has been abusing even one innocent child for years. But to learn that this predator sexually traumatized not one but two innocent children is simply unbearable,’ added Willis after sentencing.”
“The jury found Jones guilty of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child, which has a minimum punishment of 25 years in prison. Judge Andrea Thompson assessed punishment at 35 years in prison. By law, a sentence for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child is without eligibility for parole.”
Thanks to a child’s written plea to God and the wise actions of her parents, two children were rescued from abuse and justice has now been delivered. What a testimony to the power of even a child’s prayer.
