A New Braunfels man will spend nearly three decades in prison after a Comal County judge found him guilty of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Donquez Lamar Banks, 33, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years on one count and eight years on a second, a combination that puts him just shy of 30 years behind bars.
According to reporting by the San Antonio Express-News, the girl told her mother on Oct. 31, 2022, that Banks had assaulted her while he was temporarily staying at a relative’s home. The Comal County District Attorney’s Office identified Banks as “a relative of a family member,” and court records cited in the report show he had a June 2022 conviction for assaulting a family member and causing bodily injury.
Long sentences in recent cases
Comal County prosecutors have been landing stiff prison terms in child-sex cases lately, and Banks’ punishment fits that pattern. Earlier this month, Louie Jay Villagonza received a 32-year, no-parole sentence in another child-sex prosecution, and KSAT recently reported on a separate Comal County conviction that also ended with prison time. Together, those outcomes underscore how tough the county’s courts have been on offenses against minors.
What the law requires and where to get help
In Texas, convictions for reportable child-sex offenses often lead to decades-long prison terms and mandatory registration under the state’s sex-offender program, which is run by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS details the registration obligations and verification rules that follow such convictions.
Locally, survivors and their families can find information on counseling, notifications and other support through Comal County’s victim services programs. Comal County Victim Services lists contact information and resources for those affected by crimes like the one in Banks’ case.
The Comal County Criminal District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, the Express-News reports, and court records cited in that coverage highlight Banks’ prior June 2022 conviction for assaulting a family member. Local officials say victim-assistance programs are in place to help families deal with court updates, counseling options and the long legal aftermath of these kinds of offenses.
