Lubbock man sentenced to 30 years for sexually abusing girl
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A 47-year-old Lubbock man who a federal judge in Lubbock said "created a living nightmare" for a 12-year-old girl in his care when he bullied and sexually abused her for years was sentenced this month to 30-years in prison.
U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix handed the maximum sentence to Casey Earl Bratcher during a Sept. 8 sentencing hearing.
Bratcher pleaded guilty in May to a count of attempted production of child pornography. He was initially indicted on a count of enticement and attempted enticement of a minor, which was dismissed as part of his guilty plea.
He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Bratcher admitted to sending multiple messages to a 12-year-old girl from May 2020 to May 2021 asking for videos of her performing sexual acts.
The charge against Bratcher stems from a Lubbock police and Lubbock County Sheriff's Office investigation that began on May 28, 2021 when Bratcher's now ex-wife found a cellphone that contained explicit messages Bratcher sent the girl. Bratcher's ex-wife confronted him and he admitted to sending the messages.
Later that day, Bratcher contacted the Lubbock police department saying he wanted to surrender for sexually assaulting the child, saying he had been sexually abusing the girl since she was 11 and gave her the cell phone he used to send her the sexually explicit messages.
Investigators with the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office took over the investigation, obtained the cellphone and found the messages Bratcher sent the girl asking her to send him videos of her performing a sexual act, court documents state.
A warrant was issued for Bratcher's arrest and in June, a Lubbock County grand jury returned an indictment charging him with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony that carries a punishment of five years to life in prison.
Meanwhile, Bratcher traveled to Alaska. By late June, U.S. Marshals in Lubbock learned Bratcher was in the Anchorage area. Social media posts also indicated he was there, according to a news release from the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
On July 1, the U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, aided by local citizens, found and arrested Bratcher in Anchorage.
He was extradited to Lubbock and has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since March 10.
During the sentencing hearing Bratcher's attorney David Sloan, asked the court for a 25-year sentence and a non-binding recommendation that his client serve his sentence at the federal prison in Seagoville, saying the facility had a reputation for safety for offenders convicted of sexual crimes.
While offender placement is determined by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, judges can make a non-binding recommendation for certain facilities requested by offenders. However, in Bratcher's case, Hendrix denied the request, saying he would let BOP officials determine where Bratcher would serve his sentence.
A family member told Batcher that he destroyed the trust he was given to satisfy his "demented" and "disgusting" desires.
She said to hide his actions Bratcher threatened to kick out the girl and her brother from her home if she told anyone about the abuse.
She asked for the maximum sentence.
"This evil man should not be allowed to hurt another child."
Prosecutor Callie Woolam said the girl will suffer from Bratcher's abuse for the rest of her life.
"Mr. Bratcher's actions are evil," she said. "They are despicable."
She said the girl continues to fear Bratcher and asked for a sentence that would protect her for as long as possible.
Hendrix told Bratcher that his actions were hard to fathom, saying evidence showed he ignored the girl's humanity when he abused her over and over in a cold and calculated way.
He said the girl's protection outweighed any mitigating factors in determining Bratcher's sentence.
"You bullied her," Hendrix told Bratcher. "You created a living nightmare for her when you were supposed to protect her."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Casey Bratcher sentence to 30 years in prison
