On Wednesday, November 17, 2021, in the 435th District Court, the Honorable Judge Patty Maginnis presiding, a Montgomery County jury found Derek Cobbs, 42, guilty of the offense of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. The following day, after hearing from several witnesses during the punishment phase, the same jury sentenced Cobbs to life in prison. Due to the nature of the charge, Cobbs will never be eligible for parole. Cobbs was a resident of Conroe, Texas, worked as a truck driver, and was a local youth football coach.
During the trial, the jury heard from the victim, now 15. The victim testified that Cobbs began sexually abusing her when she was ten, and the abuse continued until she was 12. When she was 12, she reported the abuse to an adult, who then informed the police. Cobbs’ abuse involved a foot fetish, and the jury heard of a second, unrelated victim who experienced the same behavior from Cobbs in 2003.
Both victims testified powerfully to the devastating impact Cobbs abuse had on them. They also spoke of the importance of confronting Cobbs and demanding accountability for his actions. In response, the jury convicted Cobbs and sentenced him to life in prison.
Conroe Police Department investigated the case with the assistance of Children’s Safe Harbor, Montgomery County’s local Child Advocacy Center that provides services, such as forensic interviews and counseling resources, to families of abused children.
Prosecutor Wesley LeRouax said, “Derek Cobbs had a dark perversion that he inflicted on innocent children. He pretended to be a good man for years, wearing a mask that he showed the outside world. Our jury saw through the charade. Because of the bravery of the victim, in this case, Cobbs can never harm another child.”
District Attorney Brett Ligon said, “This seems like the story of a bad man doing bad things, and it is. But this is also the story of two women, one still a young girl and the other now an adult. These two women exhibited tremendous courage and strength. We hope that they will have peace and love in their lives going forward and never think of this man again. We certainly won’t.”
