BY JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
A 21-year-old Hays man was sentenced to five and a half years in prison Wednesday in Ellis County District Court for a pair of child sex crimes.
Christopher Lynn Cox, 21, was sentenced to 66 months in prison for criminal sodomy and sexual battery.
Cox was also originally charged with rape but that charge was dropped as a result of the plea agreement reached in March.
The charges stemmed from two separate incidents in February 2020. Court documents accused Cox of providing alcohol and having sex with a 14-year-old girl on Feb. 17. He was also charged with inappropriately touching a 16-year-old without her consent on Feb. 1.
Cox was initially expected to be sentenced to 59 months in prison but Ellis County Attorney Robert Anderson said Cox’s criminal history was different than expected so that changed the prison time to 66 months.
Once he is released from prison, Cox will be required to register as a sex offender for life and will be subject to post-release supervision, formerly parole, for life.