Montgomery County Serial Child Predator Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- On Friday, September 17, 2021, Jody James Malone Jr., 34, pled guilty to Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. The Honorable Judge Lisa Michalk in the 221st District Court sentenced Malone in accordance with his plea to 50 years in prison. This plea agreement resolved 11 child sexual abuse cases and spared numerous child sexual abuse victims from being required to testify in trial. Additionally, this particular plea will ensure that Malone spends the next 50 years in prison with no chance at parole. Malone will not be eligible for release from prison until 2070 when he is 84 years old.

On July 2, 2020, Detective Sean Bridges of the Montgomery County PCT 3 Constables Office received a case referral from the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office regarding a convicted sex offender communicating with multiple children in Montgomery County. The suspect was seeking sexual images from children. Malone also sought to meet with children for sexual contact. Det. Bridges quickly identified the suspect as Jody Malone Jr. who was on parole after being convicted of Online Solicitation of a Minor in 2008 and serving 10 years of a 20 year prison sentence.

The Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children Team immediately began investigating the allegations, identifying victims, and building a case against Malone. The investigation led to the arrest of Malone for sexually exploiting dozens of children in Montgomery County, including four victims with whom Malone had sexual contact. The Defendant used a variety of social media chat platforms to meet children and obtain images from them through manipulation, lies, and extortion. Detectives found thousands of images of child pornography in Malone's possession.

This case was a multi-agency effort to take serial child predators off the streets of Montgomery County. The Montgomery County Pd. 3 Constable's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Conroe Police Department, and other members of the Houston-Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted in investigating this case and apprehending the offender. Special Victims Division Chief Shanna Redwine and Assistant District Attorney Chris Seufert prosecuted the case.

Special Victims Division Chief Shanna Redwine: 'This plea is a testament to the outstanding investigation and unwavering professionalism of our Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force detectives. This defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison. Because of the strength of the investigation, we were able to secure this outcome without requiring his victims to appear publicly in court. This was a great relief to those children and their families. We are grateful for the good work of law enforcement in this case.'

Assistant District Attorney Chris Seufert: 'In all my many years as a prosecutor, I've never known of a child predator who endangered so many kids. This sentence makes it virtually certain that his days of hurting children are over.'

District Attorney Brett Ligon: 'Parents, you've heard this before, but please hear it again: there are sexual predators in our community and the surrounding communities. They want access to your children, and they are cunning and relentless. Time and time again, we see these predators use social media platforms to entice, trap, and then prey on children. We can and do hold these people accountable when we learn about their actions, and we proactively look for them before they approach your kids. With that said, we cannot always find them before they act. Please warn your children and talk to them about these dangers. For now, this particular predator Malone will be separated from you and your loved ones for a very long time, and for that, we can all be grateful.'