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LJ man handed 30 years in prison
Published November 6, 2004
GALVESTON — A federal judge sentenced a Lake Jackson man Friday to 30 years in prison for possessing child pornography and distributing it over the Internet.
Andrew Lee Hartshorn Jr., 34, pleaded guilty to the child pornography charges in June, according to court documents. The charges came after FBI agents executed federal search warrants in August 2003 at the home of Hartshorn’s mother near Linden Lane and That Way.
There, federal agents found that Hartshorn had possessed and distributed graphic, violent pornographic images, including child rape and sodomy, said Lake Jackson Detective Sgt. Diane Cary-Cisneros.
“I’m happy that I don’t have to worry about him coming back anytime soon,” said Cary-Cisneros, who attended Friday’s sentencing hearing.
Hartshorn had been one of the city’s most notorious sex offenders, Cary-Cisneros said. He moved back to the area in 1999 after he served a seven-year sentence for indecency with a child, Cary-Cisneros said.
But the most alarming fact was that the sex offender lived at the end of the school zone for Bess Brannen Elementary, Cary-Cisneros said. The man’s only requirement was to register annually with the Lake Jackson Police. He was not on probation and had no parole officer, Cary-Cisneros said.
“When he came back to Lake Jackson, he was under no supervision whatsoever,” Cary-Cisneros said.
Neighbors now can rest easy, and children will no longer have to ride their bikes on the other side of the street when going to school because of additional conditions on the sentence.
U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent required Hartshorn to be on parole for the rest of his life. The man will not be allowed to return to the federal jurisdiction of the Southern District of Texas, an area that stretches from Galveston County down to Brownsville.
Additionally, Hartshorn will not be allowed to come within 400 feet of a child without written notice from his probation officer, Cary-Cisneros said. The judge also forbade him from ever having access to the Internet or electronic media again.
Hartshorn will not be eligible for parole until at least 2028, Cary-Cisneros said.
“I think it’s going to be a big relief to the community, and specifically this neighborhood,” Cary-Cisneros said. “They’re going to be quite happy, I believe, that they’re not going to have to deal with him anymore.”
Neighbors kept the police department alerted about Hartshorn’s activities, Cary-Cisneros.
One time, police questioned him when he was standing in his garage, trying to wave children in, Cary-Cisneros said.
When Cary-Cisneros asked Hartshorn if he succeeded waving children in, he responded “unfortunately not,” she said.
“I felt that it was just a matter of time with him,” Cary-Cisneros said. “I always worried about him.”
Brazoria County District Attorney Jeri Yenne credited the diligence of Lake Jackson Police for being pro-active.
“The Lake Jackson Police Department did a wonderful job of making sure there was not another victim,” Yenne said.
The situation is prompting Yenne to request state legislators to draft legislation that would prohibit sex offenders from going on school campuses, she said.
“Andrew Hartshorn is one of those who could have walked onto school campuses legally,” she said.
State Sen. Kyle Janek introduced legislation at one time that would have accomplished that, Yenne said, but the bill died.
Bridie Isensee covers the city of Lake Jackson for The Facts. Contact her at (979) 237-0149.
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