A Tarrant County jury found 38-year-old Joshua Washington guilty of indecency with a child by sexual contact, and the court sentenced him to 15 years in prison. The case centered on a 13-year-old girl who told her mother that Washington had sexually assaulted her on July 25, 2025, while she was at a friend's house.
According to the Tarrant County DA, the girl made her outcry directly to her mother, setting the case in motion. The office, whose stated mission is to protect public safety through vigorous enforcement of criminal and civil laws in an ethical, honest, and just manner, credited the Fort Worth Police Department for its work on the investigation and its ongoing commitment to keeping the community safe. Investigator Briant Thomas worked the case, with Assistant District Attorneys David Tamez and Don MacQueen prosecuting and Josh Conley assisting.
“Every child matters,” the Tarrant County DA said in announcing the conviction.
Why the Sentence Landed Near the Legal Maximum
Indecency with a child by sexual contact is a second-degree felony under Texas Penal Code § 21.11, punishable by two to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to Crowder Criminal Firm. Washington's 15-year sentence falls near the upper end of that range. Because the victim was younger than 14, Texas law also barred the judge or jury from granting him standard probation, per Saputo Toufexis, which explains why Washington was sent directly to prison rather than placed under community supervision.
The conviction also triggers lifetime consequences that extend well beyond his prison term. Under Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Washington will be required to register as a sex offender for life, a status that comes with annual in-person verification of his employment, vehicle information, and residence with local law enforcement, according to the L&L Law Group. Separately, Article 42.016 of the same code requires that registered offenders be issued a specialized Texas driver's license or state ID explicitly noting their registry status, according to the Luster Law Firm, a measure meant to let officers immediately identify registered offenders during identity checks.
Part of a Broader Local Pattern
Fort Worth police handle cases like this one through a dedicated Crimes Against Children Unit based at 3609 Marquita Drive, which investigates reports of sexual assault, fondling, and physical abuse of minors, per the Fort Worth Police Department. That unit's work feeds into a Tarrant County court system that has been handing down increasingly severe sentences in child sexual abuse cases. The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office reported this month that county juries have delivered nearly 100 life sentences across criminal prosecutions since District Attorney Phil Sorrells took office in January 2023.
Washington's case follows closely on the heels of other severe outcomes in the county. Earlier this week, Hoodline reported that a jury sentenced 36-year-old Tai Vaega to life without parole for continuous child sexual abuse after he was extradited from New Zealand. Earlier this month, an Arlington man previously placed on probation for indecency with a child was sentenced to 20 years after failing to comply with mandatory sex offender registration rules, Hoodline also reported.
Bail and Enforcement Trends in North Texas
Regional bail benchmarks compiled by North Texas criminal defense firm Varghese Summersett show that bonds for indecency with a child by sexual contact in local courts typically run from about $86,000 to $100,000, often paired with strict no-contact orders involving minors. Fort Worth police have also ramped up proactive enforcement targeting child predators; in April, the department's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit carried out Operation Spring Cleaning, a multi-agency crackdown that led to 10 arrests of suspects allegedly seeking sexual contact with minors under 17.
The dossier does not detail the relationship between Washington and the victim's household beyond the fact that the assault occurred at a friend's house, and no information is available on Washington's pre-trial detention or any possible appeal. Prosecutors and police credited the investigation's outcome to close coordination between the district attorney's office and Fort Worth police, whose Crimes Against Children Unit continues to handle similar outcries across the county.
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