A Burnet County jury on Tuesday handed 36-year-old Nicholas Anthony Farris a 20-year prison sentence after finding him guilty of online solicitation of a minor under 14, the maximum penalty allowed for the charge. The verdict and punishment were returned in the 424th Judicial District Court, with Judge Evan Stubbs presiding.
Prosecutors said evidence at trial showed Farris engaged in sexually explicit online conversations with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl, asked for sexual activity and explicit photos, and sent an explicit photo of himself. The person on the other end of the messages was actually an adult working with a private group that tracks suspected child predators, according to the Burnet County District Attorney's Office, as reported by KEYE.
What Jurors Were Shown
During the punishment phase, jurors were told Farris had previously been arrested on a similar charge. They were also shown material pulled from his cellphone that prosecutors said contained explicit images and videos depicting underage girls.
District Attorney Perry Thomas publicly praised the jury and law enforcement after the verdict, saying, “This office is committed to prosecuting people who would seek to harm children,” according to KEYE.
State Law And Penalties
Under Texas law, online solicitation of a minor is prosecuted under Penal Code §33.021. When the alleged victim is under 14, or the defendant believes the victim is under 14, the crime is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. A conviction or adjudication for this offense also triggers sex-offender registration requirements, according to the Texas Penal Code.
Case Record
Public court records show the indictment in the case was returned in October 2024 and list a prior bond set at $50,000 during pretrial proceedings. The county's public calendar identifies Farris by name on the 33rd/424th District Court docket for “online solicitation of a minor under 14,” per dCourtTexas.
Broader Context
Central Texas law enforcement agencies have been leaning on multi-agency undercover operations to target suspected online predators in recent weeks. A June operation in Williamson County resulted in eight arrests. That operation, conducted with local sheriff's offices, Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas Department of Public Safety, reflects a broader use of sting tactics to find people accused of targeting minors online, as reported by KWTX.
The 20-year sentence closes out Farris's case in Burnet County for now. Portions of the record remain accessible in public court files and sentencing documents, and the district attorney's office has framed the outcome as part of its ongoing focus on crimes that target children.
