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A Franklin County man charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child or children waived his right to a jury trial and a bench trial in Mt Vernon before District Judge Eddie Northcutt. Judge Northcutt found John Howard Dearing guilty of the charges against him and sentenced Dearing to life in prison. Child Protective Services, Franklin County Deputies, and Mt. Vernon Police investigated the case.
Press Release***
On 04/25/2022, John Howard Dearing was convicted and sentenced, in the 8th District Court of Franklin County, to Life in Prison for the offense of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child or Children. It is the culmination of a case that began in 2018 and finally concluded yesterday with Dearing’s conviction and sentencing.
Franklin County Sheriff Ricky Jones would like to thank everyone involved in this case. Specifically, the efforts of the 8th Judicial District Attorney Will Ramsay’s office, A.D.A.’s Jodi Cox and Matt Harris, the Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center, Child Protective Services, and the investigators from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Mount Vernon Police Department.
Sheriff Jones said that “this verdict and sentence sends a clear message from the citizens of Franklin County that the abuse and exploitation of children will not be tolerated in this county.” Sheriff Jones also expressed his heartfelt sympathy for Dearing’s multiple victims and said that he “takes great pride in being able to assist in helping them to get justice for the abuse that they suffered.”