A sexual assault from 2018 in Grimes County has ended with the conviction of a Nacogdoches man.
In January of 2018, the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a sexual assault in the Southern portion of the county. Authorities say that through investigation, they found the man, while at a gathering at the residence, took the victim inside while others were outside, where he forcibly raped the victim, who was his best friend’s fiancé.
The man is identified as Christopher Martin Blake of Nacogdoches.
Testimony revealed that martin took the victim, who was intoxicated, to a room in the house, where he began making sexual advances. When the victim rejected, he assaulted her repeatedly.
Last week, the trial took place, and Martin was convicted of Sexual Assault, which is a second degree felony in Texas. Punishment typically ranged from 2 to 20 years in prison, but due to Martin’s lack of a criminal record, he was also eligible for probation.
The punishment phase began last Tuesday. Grimes County Assistant District Attorney Courtney Cain urged the jury to send a message with prison time. The jury returned with the recommendation that Martin’s sentence be probated. The court will determine the length of probation on May 28th.
“Adult sexual assault cases, where the survivor and suspect know each other and consent is the issue, are always tough to prosecute,” said Grimes County District Attorney Andria Bender in the press release. “Assistant District Attorney Courtney Cain did an outstanding job handling this trial.”
Regardless of the sentence, Martin will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.