GROVETON — A county resident was sentenced to 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice after being convicted on three felony charges.
On Friday, 258th District Court Judge Travis Kitchens Jr. sentenced Timothy Michael Zawodny, 37, to 10 years in prison after Zawodny entered a plea of no contest to a first-degree felony charge of sexual performance of a child and two third-degree felony charges of possession of child pornography.
As part of the judgment, Zawodny is also required to register as a sex offender.
Zawodny was arrested in August 2022 as the result of an investigation conducted by the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office in partnership with the Texas Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Unit. The case started after authorities received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Sheriff Woody Wallace stated that protecting children remains one of the Sheriff’s Office’s highest priorities and thanked the investigators, prosecutors, and the Texas Attorney General’s Office for their work in bringing this case to a conclusion.
Wallace said the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to protecting children and holding those who exploit them accountable.
“While the sentence may not satisfy everyone, a conviction was obtained, the defendant will serve time in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and he will be required to register as a sex offender,” he said. “Sentencing decisions are ultimately made by the courts, not by law enforcement. We are thankful justice was served, and we remain committed to protecting the children of Trinity County. As important as this judgment is, there is an even greater Judge before whom every person will one day stand. God is the ultimate Judge, and His judgment is eternal.”
