Man sentenced to 26-year term on sex charges

Hulsey
Hulsey

A local man arrested last year for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl he met on Instagram and later propositioning a 14-year-old girl through Snapchat was sentenced to 26 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to felony charges in Garland County Circuit Court.

Zachary Tyler Hulsey, 20, who lists a Buxton Loop address, pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault, amended from an original charge of rape, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and to sexual indecency with a child, and was sentenced to six years, with the sentences to run consecutively for a total of 26 years.

Hulsey, who was set to stand trial Wednesday, must also register as a sex offender upon his release and was permanently barred from any future contact with either of the victims.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Joe Graham said Monday that the families of both victims were consulted and had agreed to the plea offer made to Hulsey, who received the maximum on both counts.

According to the affidavit on the original rape charge, on Feb. 4, 2016, a report was filed with the Garland County Sheriff's Department in reference to the rape of a 13-year-old girl by a known suspect, identified as Hulsey.

The following day, the victim was interviewed at the Cooper-Anthony Child Mercy Advocacy Center and said she had met Hulsey on Instagram. Hulsey came to the victim's house two or three times and during his last visit in January 2016, he digitally penetrated the victim. Hulsey was 18 at the time of the sexual contact.

Hulsey was interviewed on Feb. 18, and admitted to the incident with the victim. He stated he did not know her age at the time, but after finding out she was 13, he told her "she was pretty and he still wanted to date her."

A warrant was issued for Hulsey's arrest and he was taken into custody on April 4, 2016, and later released on $25,000 bond.

According to the affidavit on the sexual indecency charge, on Nov. 2, 2016, sheriff's investigators received a report of sexual indecency with a 14-year-old female by a known suspect, identified as Hulsey.

On Nov. 3, the victim was interviewed at Cooper-Anthony and said she met Hulsey in 2015 and he told her he was 16 years old. She said she later found out Hulsey was 19.

Hulsey had started texting her through Snapchat a few days before the interview asking her to send him photos of her privates. He also allegedly demanded the female have intercourse with another male and send him photos and video.

The victim said she was scared of Hulsey because "he would threaten her if she blocked him." She said Hulsey asked to meet up with her when she walked her dog, but she refused and blocked him on Snapchat.

That same day, the victim's parents gave consent for a search of the cellphone. On Nov. 14, through a data extraction report, Snapchat messages from Hulsey's Snapchat account to the female were obtained. The messages showed Hulsey had asked to meet the female for intercourse and requested she send him sexually explicit photographs.

A warrant was issued for Hulsey again and he was taken into custody on Nov. 17, 2016, and later released on $5,000 bond. He was arrested again on Dec. 20, 2016, after his bond was revoked and had remained in custody since then.

Local on 05/02/2017

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