A Texas man who was accused of sexually assaulting a runaway girl in Ruidoso over three years ago will spend over a decade in prison.
Kory Jolly, 41, received a 12-year prison sentence in 12th Judicial District Court on Wednesday after pleading no contest to two counts of criminal sexual contact of a child under 13. He is also required to register as a sex offender upon release, according to court documents.
The girl, who was 11 at the time, had run away from home on Aug. 14, 2023 and had wondered into the yard of a home on 3rd Street that Jolly was staying at.
According to an affidavit for an arrest warrant, the girl told forensic investigators that Jolly, who is from Lubbock, Texas, had taken her clothes off inside the home and that Jolly gave her some money.
Jolly later told officers from the Ruidoso Police Department that he found the girl in the yard after waking up that morning and he let her inside the home, which belonged to a friend, because she wanted to pet his dog. Officers noted in the affidavit that they could smell alcohol on Jolly’s breath.
Jolly wasn’t charged until April of this year due to the sexual assault exam taking years to process, according to court records.
Jolly was initially charged with one count of criminal sexual penetration of a child, one count of criminal sexual contact of a child and one count of enticement of a child, but the charges were later reduced as part of a plea agreement.
