A Dallas man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison with no possibility of parole for the sexual assault of a young child over a multiple-year period.
Quadriel Forest, 32, was found guilty on Thursday of continuous sexual abuse of a child. He was known by and had ongoing access to the young victim, according to the Collin County District Attorney.
The abuse began when the child was 4 years old, and it continued over the next five years until the child was 9. Forest abused the child in multiple cities, including Dallas and McKinney.
Once the victim disclosed the long-standing abuse to a school counselor — after being assaulted by Forest the day before — the school reported the abuse to Child Protective Services, who then launched an investigation.
The child was interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County, where they disclosed details of the years of abuse they endured and underwent a sexual assault examination by a nurse.
The examination led to the discovery of Forest’s DNA on the child’s inner thighs. Additionally, a search of the child’s bedroom revealed the presence of Forest’s semen on the walls of the room.
Forest told detectives that his semen was found on the walls of the room because he would masturbate in the child’s bedroom. However, he could not explain why it was found on the child’s inner thighs. He was arrested in Collin County in August of 2023.
Continuous sexual abuse of a child is a first-degree felony in Texas, with a possible punishment of 25 to 99 years or life in prison. The jury ultimately decided Forest would face 50 years in prison with no possibility of parole.
“This child’s courage in speaking up about years of abuse to a trusted adult brought crucial evidence to light in court,” stated District Attorney Greg Willis after the sentencing.
“I’m deeply thankful for the school staff, CPS, law enforcement, my prosecutors, and our jurors who all worked together to ensure this child’s predator will serve 50 straight years with no chance of parole.”
As of September 5, Dallas has clocked 452 reported sex crimes so far this year, according to data from the City of Dallas Crime Analytics dashboard. Actual numbers are likely much higher, as sex crimes often go underreported.
In August, a Dallas County jury sentenced 52-year-old serial rapist Christopher Michael Green to life in prison, as reported by The Dallas Express. During the sentencing, “… evidence of five additional violent assaults allegedly committed by Mr. Green was presented, along with powerful testimony from the survivors— four of whom were between the ages of 15-17 at the time of their attacks,” a press release from the DA’s office stated.
The Dallas Police Department has struggled to keep a lid on sex crimes and other offenses as it has been dealing with a serious staffing shortage for years. Only around 3,000 officers are currently employed by the department, despite a prior City analysis advising that a force of roughly 4,000 is needed to properly police a city the size of Dallas.