Criminal District Attorney Bob Wortham announced today that Judge John B. Stevens, Jr., sentenced Shane Gotte, 50, to an additional 50 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Based on a plea agreement between Gotte and the State, he was previously sentenced to sixty (60) years on another charge of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, twenty (20) years for three charges of Indecency with a Child by Contact, twenty (20) years for three charges of Promotion of Child Pornography, and ten (10) years for one charge of Indecency with a Child by Exposure.
On October 12, 2017, a person discovered child pornography on a flash drive and immediately notified law enforcement. Officers from the Groves Police Department responded to the location where the flash drive was discovered and seized the flash drive along with all other electronic devices. An initial examination of the flash drive revealed several images and videos of Gotte molesting a young, male child, identified as a previous foster child in Gotte’s home. The child is asleep during all the videos. Detectives then obtained a search warrant for Gotte’s residence where they discovered over 7,000 additional images and videos of child pornography. A complete digital forensic exam was performed on all electronic devices that were seized. The dates on the images and videos of Gotte molesting the victim showed that they were taken when the victim was 5 and 6 years old.
The Department of Family and Protectives Services (DFPS) was notified by law enforcement about the investigation due to the status of Gotte as a previous foster parent. DFPS conducted an independent investigation and was not able to identify any additional victims.
The case was prosecuted by Special Crimes Chief Kimberly Hobbs Pipkin and investigated by Detective John Hudson from the Groves Police Department, along with the assistance of Detective Jeff Curl from the Beaumont Police Department.
Gotte pled guilty to all nine (9) charges that he was indicted on. No charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Because the victim was younger than six (6) years of age at the time of the first Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, that charge was an enhanced first-degree felony that carried a range of punishment from 25-99 years or life in prison. The second Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child case was a regular first-degree felony that carried a range of punishment from 5-99 years or life in prison. The Indecency with a Child by Contact and Promotion of Child Pornography charges were second-degree felonies that carried a range of punishment from
There is no parole for the enhanced first-degree felony, and Gotte must serve every, single day of his fifty-year sentence. Gotte is eligible for parole after serving half of his time on the remaining charges. All of the sentences are running concurrently with each other. Gotte must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.