San Antonio, Texas, February 13, 2018: Last week, the judge of the 399th
District Court
sentenced Tracy Cobbs, age 41, to
confinement for life without the possibility of parole. Previously, a jury in
the 399th District Court had found Cobbs guilty on two counts of
Super Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child for sexually abusing two girls, ages
five and four.
Cobbs,
who was a family friend of the girls’ parents, took the family into his home
when they were going through a hard time. The girls’ mother took the girls to
Cobbs’ home for shelter and lodging, but left them alone with him due to her
own substance dependency. The girls’ father gained custody of the girls but
left them under the care of their grandparents when he found employment out of
state. Within two weeks of living with their grandparents, the girls told their
grandmother about how they had been abused by Cobbs.
Over
the course of the investigation and trial preparation, Assistant District
Attorneys learned of two additional victims who had been sexually assaulted by
Cobbs. Additionally, Cobbs had an extensive criminal history. At trial it was
shown that in 1989, Cobbs had previously committed an aggravated robbery
against three individuals. One of the individuals was Mr. Greg Ferris, an
ex-SAPD Officer, who owned a gun shop where the robberies took place.
During
sentencing, Mr. Ferris testified about the robbery. Prosecutors also presented evidence showing
Cobbs had been on felony probation at the time he committed not only the
robbery but also the sexual assaults
“I’ve
said it once before and I will say it again, child abuse is one of the most
disgusting acts out there and it is something that I will not tolerate,” said
District Attorney Nico LaHood. “Our children are precious gifts from the Lord
and we must protect them, anyone who harms children will be held accountable by
our Office.”
Assistant
District Attorneys Denise Hairston and Daryl Harris from the District
Attorney’s Special Crimes Division prosecuted the case against Cobbs in the 399th
District Court.
Super
Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child is a first degree felony, with an enhanced
punishment, due to the girls’ age, punishable by a minimum of 25 years to life
without parole and a $10,000.00 fine.