In Bexar County, a family’s quest for justice in a child sexual assault case has been stalled as the accused, Sean Joseph Haynes, a registered sex offender, recently removed his ankle monitor and fled. This turn of events came four years after the initial report of the assault.
The case began in September 2019 when a mother, whose identity is withheld to protect her daughter, the victim, discovered her seven-year-old daughter had been sexually assaulted. She immediately sought guidance from a licensed counselor and contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) and the police department’s special victims unit. Acting on advice from a registered nurse experienced in rape crisis response, the mother took her daughter to the hospital, where the police were notified.
At the hospital, an officer identified the perpetrator as Sean Joseph Haynes, 47, previously convicted in 2008 for the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in Missouri. In the current case, Haynes was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child. The trial, however, faced numerous delays, with more than a dozen postponements.
The victim’s mother, who had been friends with Haynes’ wife, was unaware of his past. She had trusted the couple to babysit her children. The revelation of Haynes’ criminal history was a shock, compounded by her daughter’s assertion that she was following her mother’s instructions to obey the adults in charge.
Haynes eventually pleaded guilty over the summer, but in a dramatic twist, he cut off his ankle monitor and fled before his sentencing could be carried out. This act has prompted a warrant for his arrest.
The victim’s mother expressed deep frustration with the judicial system, criticizing both the judges and the district attorney’s office for their handling of the case. She is advocating for a 25-year sentence for Haynes, emphasizing the lifelong impact of the trauma on her daughter. The mother relayed her daughter’s fear and her wish to prevent similar experiences for other young girls.
The public is urged to contact police if they have any information on the whereabouts of Sean Joseph Haynes.
