Elderly sex offender gets life for fondling teen

Charles Ray Martin, 78, was sentenced to life in prison for indecency with a child by sexual contact. Martin, a convicted sex offender, was found guilty of touching a teenager. Keep clicking to see how many sex offenders reside in Houston-area cities. less Charles Ray Martin, 78, was sentenced to life in prison for indecency with a child by sexual contact. Martin, a convicted sex offender, was found guilty of touching a teenager. Keep clicking to see how many sex ... more Photo: Galveston County District Attorney's Office Photo: Galveston County District Attorney's Office Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Elderly sex offender gets life for fondling teen 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A 78-year-old registered sex offender was sentenced to life in prison following his conviction for groping a teenager in church.

Charles Ray Martin was accused of fondling a 15-year-old girl in May 2015 in the kitchen of the League City church they both attended, the Galveston County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Martin came up behind the girl and squeezed her breast. She initially thought it might have been an accident but then Martin did it a second time, officials announced in a statement on Wednesday.

The girl told Martin, a La Porte resident, to stop and pushed him away.

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Martin told her not to tell anyone what happened because both of them could get in trouble. Prosecutors said she had known Martin for "several years" because they attended church together.

The girl's family reported what happened to church officials, who were already aware that Martin was a registered sex offender. In April 1988, he was sentenced to 10 years probation for aggravated sexual assault, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety's sex offender registry.

Church officials made a police report about what the girl said happened.

In a one-day trial on Tuesday, Judge Kerry Neves on Tuesday found him guilty.

Martin faced a punishment of automatic life in prison because of the 1998 sexual assault conviction. He will not be eligible for parole until serving at least 30 years, officials said.