Groesbeck man gets life plus 340 years
Joshua Weibye, 33, was sentenced to life in prison for continuous sexual abuse of a young child by 87th District Court Judge Amy Ward on April 4.
He also was sentenced to 80 years in prison for each of four counts of indecency with a child and 20 years extra for sexual assault of a child. Ward ordered that the sentences be served consecutively.
Weibye was found guilty by Limestone County jury in February. The jury deliberated about two hours after hearing from 15 witnesses before returning the verdict.
Testimony revealed that Weibye was in a relationship with the victim's mother, and that the abuse began when she was five years old. The victim told her mother about the abuse, but she was not believed.
A year after the victim reported the abuse to her mother, she became pregnant at age 12. Weibye took the girl to an abortion clinic in Austin that refused to perform the procedure because he was not her parent.
The victim told clinic personnel that a 12-year-old boy had impregnated her, a story Weibye convinced her to use. The clinic notified the Groesbeck Police Department of the situation because the girl was underage, and Child Protective Services was then notified.
CPS contacted the mother and arranged for a medical exam of the victim by the Children's Advocacy Center, but the mother fled to Mexico with the child. The investigation revealed that the mother gave the victim pills to abort the child. Later, Weibye went to Mexico and returned with her to Groesbeck, where the abuse resumed.
Assistanty County Attorney Beth Toben, who prosecuted the case with Assistant County Attorney Hilary LaBorde, said it took teamwork by professionals to stop the abuse of the child. "They saw what was really happening, even before the victim found the words to tell us," she said.
County Attorney Jeff Janes said the community working together held the criminal accountable. "It is obvious from Judge Ward's strong punishment that this type of behavior will not be tolerated in our community."
