By Taylor Kaiser
On Tuesday, November 18th, Billy James Brackeen, 82, entered a guilty plea for two counts of Indecency with a Child Sexual Contact. The second-degree felonies can include imprisonment for 2 to 20 years and fines of up to $10,000.00, as well as a requirement to register as a sex offender. He was arrested on these charges in November 2024.
Brackeen, represented by attorney, Daniel Biltz, was declared sane and competent by the court as he waived his right to a jury trial to enter his guilty plea. Andrew Wolf, First Assistant District Attorney for Navarro County, represented the State.
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The terms agreed upon by the defense and prosecution are listed below:
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Ten years of deferred adjudication
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Probation period/community supervision for ten years
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Successful completion of a sex offender program
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$50.00 per month plus $5.00 per month in fines
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$390.00 court costs
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One-time donations of $50.00 to the Child Advocacy Center and Navarro County Crime Stoppers
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A donation of twenty-five canned goods to a Navarro County food pantry
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Lifetime protective orders for the victims
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Registry for sex offender status
Brackeen exists on a fixed income and is considered indigent. One of the victims is his great-granddaughter, Sophie Fugate.
The victims’ family and friends were in attendance for the plea hearing and reading to the court their Victim Impact Statements.
One of the victim’s mother, Kristy Warren, told the court, “Writing this letter is something I never imagined I would have to do. I never thought I’d be standing in a court room speaking about someone I grew up loving. You lost the right to call yourself Papaw the moment you chose to harm her. You may choose denial. You may choose silence, but we choose the truth. We choose strength and we choose to protect our children. We are done letting your actions define our future.”
Sophie read her statement, tearfully: “My name is Sophie, I am writing this statement to share how Billy Brackeen, my grandpa’s, actions have affected my life. I want the court and him to understand the impact his abuse has had on me. What he did to me has caused me pain that I still carry to this day. I remember everything that happened to me, and it replays in my head over and over. I hope this reflects the seriousness of his actions and acknowledges the harm he’s caused. I want to feel safe and never see his face again, I want to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
Disclaimer – The NavCo Chronicle released the name of one of the victims, per her request.
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