Christopher Ryan Sessions, 36, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child, closing out a case rooted in years of abuse against an 11-year-old relative in White Settlement. The girl came forward on March 10, 2025, telling authorities that Sessions, a family member, had sexually abused her for years and had instructed her not to tell anyone.
The plea and sentence were announced by the Tarrant County DA, which credited the White Settlement Police Department for its investigative work and its commitment to keeping our community safe. Assistant District Attorney Erika Staif handled the prosecution, while Elizabeth Garcia served as the case's victim coordinator, according to the office's own account of the sentencing.
Thanks to the White Settlement Police Department for their work on this case and for their commitment to keeping our community safe. pic.twitter.com/m9vy9V0kev
— Tarrant County DA (@TarrantCountyDA) August 5, 2026
Guilty Plea Triggers Texas' Mandatory Minimum
Under Texas Penal Code § 22.021, aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony carrying a sentencing range of five to 99 years or life in prison, according to legal resource Versus Texas. Because the victim was under 14, prosecutors were not required to prove force or a weapon was used, per FindLaw. Sessions' guilty plea also placed him outside the reach of probation, since Article 42A.054 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure bars judges from granting community supervision for this offense, as detailed by Texas Public Law. Per Texas Government Code § 508.145, Sessions must serve at least half of that term before he can be considered for parole, according to Granger & Mueller.
Prosecutor Brings Track Record on Child-Safety Cases
Staif has handled other high-profile child-safety cases for the county, including the 2025 prosecution of a Fort Worth music teacher who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for exposing himself to students, as reported by KERA. District Attorney Phil Sorrells, who has led the office since 2023 after 25 years as a Tarrant County judge and prosecutor, according to his official campaign site, oversees felony prosecutions handled out of the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in Fort Worth.
White Settlement Police Department's Role in the Case
The Tarrant County DA specifically thanked the White Settlement Police Department, an agency accredited by the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation, a distinction held by only about 186 of Texas' roughly 2,700 law enforcement agencies, according to the City of White Settlement. The department also runs the WEST COMM 911 Dispatch Center at 8900 Clifford Street, providing emergency communications for roughly 60,000 residents across four western Tarrant County municipalities, per the city's police department page. White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook, who led the department during the investigation, announced in July that he will retire at the end of August to take a position as Special Agent in Charge for BNSF Railway Police, according to FOX 4 News.
