FORT WORTH - A former Arlington police officer convicted more than eight years ago of fondling a 12-year-old boy at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor was sentenced Tuesday to four years in state prison for violating terms of his probation.
Randall Kermit Godwin, 47, was ordered to prison by state District Judge Louis Sturns for failing to complete his court-ordered 240 hours of community service - which should have been completed in the first year of his probationary term.
It was the second time that the Tarrant County district attorney's office had tried to revoke the probation for Godwin for failing to comply with terms of his probation.
"Mr. Godwin went before a judge when he was initially placed on probation and indicated he understood that he had to satisfactorily complete all of the terms of his probation - not just some of them," Assistant District Attorney Lucas Allen said in a written statement.
"While he has been on probation a long time, he has had problems before. The judge, taking everything as a whole, determined that revoking his probation was appropriate and agreed with the state that he should go to prison."
Godwin, now a registered sex offender living in Euless and working at a local restaurant chain, was initially given 10 years' probation in the case after his attorney told jurors that he could "follow the rules and is worthy of some compassion."
Defense attorney Wes Ball said Godwin had been trying to work off his community service while working full-time. Because he is a registered sex offender, however, he had been limited on the types of community service he could perform.
"Judge Sturns is a fair man - I'm just rather disappointed that he's seen fit to send Mr. Godwin to the pentitentiary for a violation that is not that infrequent," Ball said. "People get behind on stuff. I think he could have completed it.
Godwin was convicted in 2003 of fondling a 12-year-old boy in the locker room at the Arlington water park. Court records indicated he had visited the water park 37 times that summer, between June 4 and Sept. 1.
-Dianna Hunt
And the police department are the ones we are supppse to trust to protect us from these kinds of situations but instead they are leading it.
Posted by: Monica | December 27, 2011 at 03:37 PM
No one is above the law, police officer or not, Thank you Judge Louis Sturns for doing the right thing.
Posted by: Jerry Thompson | December 27, 2011 at 09:48 PM
Good! Let him sit there in prison!! It's about time that the justice system makes these policemen realize that they aren't above the law and that they will get punished like the rest of us citizens when they break the law. I personally believe that not all policemen are this way, but I'm mainly referring to those that are.
Posted by: Amy Wright | December 28, 2011 at 03:42 AM
I hope he gets what he has coming to him in the joint. A shiv comes to mind.
Posted by: biffula | January 02, 2012 at 10:38 PM
Should have been sentenced to fall from a tall tree with a short rope. Then you don't have to worry about the pervert completing probation. )c:
Posted by: John Q | January 03, 2012 at 10:45 AM