Repeat Offender Sentenced to 28 Years for Failing to Register Social Media as Sex Offender

On April 8, 2025, 51-year-old David Eugene Hess pleaded guilty to failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements in Texas and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

Hess was previously convicted of indecency with a child by contact in 2005, involving an 8-year-old boy. He initially received probation, which was revoked within a year for his failure to adhere to sex offender registration rules, leading to a seven-year prison sentence.

In 2024, the Texas DPS Fort Worth District 3 parole office discovered that Hess, who was mandated to report all social media accounts, had not done so. Investigation revealed he had a social media account with 12 friends, all of whom were minor boys.

The case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Taylor Ross and Melinda Hogan, with investigative work by DA Investigator Brian Johnson.