A Hays County jury has found Benjamin Cearley, 28, guilty of two counts of sexual assault.
SAN MARCOS, Texas — A New Braunfels man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for sexual assault.
A Hays County jury found Benjamin Cearley, 28, guilty of two counts of sexual assault on June 12.
Evidence at the trial showed that Cearley was an acquaintance of the victim and that he gave her a ride home after work one day. When they got into her apartment, he sexually assaulted her, according to court documents.
The victim also recorded a conversation between her and Cearley after the sexual assault. In the recording, documents say you can hear Cearley admit to the victim telling him “no” and that she did not want anything sexual to happen between them.
Another woman also testified that Cearley tried to sexually assault her inside the apartment as well.
Cearley was eventually found guilty, and during the sentencing phase he was sentenced to seven years for the first count of sexual assault and two years for the second count.
The victim gave a sentence after sentencing:
“I will never forget the pain I’ve endured, but I am no longer letting it define my future. I am proud of myself. I am proud of myself for going through with this, for standing here today and speaking my truth. It has been a long and painful journey, and it’s taken everything in me to get to this point. I know how difficult it is for victims to come forward, to speak about something so painful and raw. Many people, after all this time, would have stayed silent. Many never do. But I chose to speak. I chose to share my story, to make my voice heard. And I will never regret that.”