WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Testimony is set to begin Wednesday morning in the trial of a Bellmead man charged with sexually abusing a young family member four years ago.
Jose Luis Calderon, 41, is on trial in Waco’s 54th State District Court on a continuous sexual abuse of a young child charge.
Prosecutors Tara Avants and Will Hix and defense attorney Melanie Walker spent Tuesday selecting a jury to hear the case.
Calderon, who worked for a carpet cleaning service, has been in the McLennan County Jail 970 days waiting for trial.
He is charged with sexually abusing an 11-year-old family member multiple times at his former residence in the 1000 block of Gilliam Street in Bellmead.
Bellmead police allege Calderon sexually assaulted the girl 10 times or more from May 1, 2018, to Aug. 31, 2018, according to court records.
While Calderon is on trial in the alleged sexual abuse of the 11-year-old, Avants and Hix are expected to present evidence showing that Calderon also sexually abused the girl’s older half-sister in 2014 in Rock Island County, Illinois.
Continuous sexual abuse of a young child is defined by a person committing two or more acts of sexual abuse or sexual assault during a 30-day period against a child younger than 14.
If convicted on that charge, Calderon faces a minimum of 25 years in prison without parole up to a maximum life term without parole.
