23 Oct Jury Gives Alamo Man 50 Years in Prison in Abuse of Three Children

An Alamo man, 67, will spend the next 50 years in prison after a Hidalgo County jury sentenced him in a case involving three child victims, according to the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office.

Florentino Garcia Lerma was found guilty on 10 counts: two of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, two of aggravated sexual assault of a child and six of indecency with a child by contact, the office said. The victims were all under 14.

The case began in November 2023, when a report involving a 12-year-old girl reached Alamo police. As officers investigated, a second accuser, who was underage at the time of the abuse, came forward, according to the DA’s office. Prosecutors said the accounts shared similarities and patterns.

Jurors heard evidence at trial of repeated abuse that left lasting harm, the office said. They gave Lerma 50 years on one continuous abuse count and 25 years on the other, along with five years on each aggravated sexual assault count and two years on each indecency count. The sentences will run at the same time, so the longest term controls.

District Attorney Toribio “Terry” Palacios thanked the Alamo police and the jury in a statement. “Our most sacred duty is protecting our children,” he said. “This verdict ensures Lerma can never harm another child again.”