LIBERTY COUNTY – A Tyler County man who previously worked as a high school coach and youth pastor was convicted last week of a sexual relationship with a student.
Jeffrey Brent Martin, 37, was found guilty last week in the 253rd State District Court in Liberty County of Sexual Assault of a Child and Attempt to Commit Indecency with a Child by Exposure. He was handed a sentence of 10 years’ probation, and he must also register, for life, as a sex offender.
Additionally, Martin also must report every Friday to the Liberty County Jail and remain in custody until 6 p.m. on Sunday, each weekend, for three years.
Martin formerly worked at Hull-Daisetta High School where he was a girls’ coach, and during his trial, it was revealed that he began the illegal relationship with the student who was 15, which continued into the girl’s junior year of high school. Martin was first arrested and charged in 2020.
Martin’s conviction also permanently bans him from ever serving as a teacher again, and under the terms of his sentence, if he violates any part of his probation, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
According to reports, prosecutors had noted that if the abuse between Martin and the student had been reported sooner, he could have faced a charge of Improper Relationship Between an Educator and Student. However, because the report of the abuse was delayed, the statute of limitations on that charge had expired by the time the case went to trial.
