Ex-cop to serve 45 years for child molestation

A jury Tuesday ordered a former police officer accused of molesting two children over a five-year period to serve 14 separate 30-year sentences, as well as three 15-year terms.

Immediately after the sentencing verdicts, which took jurors about three hours to reach, state District Judge Melisa Skinner ordered that one of James Chin's aggravated sexual assault of a child sentences be stacked on top of one of the indecency with a child sentences.

The move essentially upped his total prison time to 45 years. The other terms will be served concurrently.

Chin, 39, was a sergeant in Our Lady of the Lake University's Campus Police Department when he first met the young sisters in 2002. His career has also included stints at the Helotes Police Department and as a San Antonio code enforcement officer.

He did not come into contact with the children through his jobs. The rapes allegedly began in 2005, when the older child was about 8. Her sister, two years younger, told jurors she was targeted during a nine-month period in 2010.

“He told me he was going to teach me something that my mom would probably never teach me,” the older child, now 15, testified through tears last week as she was asked to describe the first incident.

Defense attorney James Tocci pointed out there was no physical evidence to back the accusations.

Prosecutor Chris DeMartino asked the judge that two 30-year sentences be stacked.

“I think the jury has already spoken to the issue of what they believe is an appropriate sentence,” Tocci replied. “This (request to stack) is going beyond justice and is very spiteful and revengeful.”

But prosecutors were showing restraint by not asking that every sentence be stacked, DeMartino responded.

ckapitan@express-news.net

Twitter: @HearsaySA