Former Cut and Shoot assistant police chief sentenced to 20 years for sexual abuse of children

A former police officer in Cut and Shoot, Texas, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for four cases of sexual abuse of children between the ages of 10 and 16, between 1998 and 2004. Norman Wilkerson, Jr., pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Jan. 30, 2023 in Montgomery County.

When charges were filed, Wilkerson was the assistant chief at the Cut and Shoot Police Department. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit (MCSO SVU) Detective Michael Lee began the investigation after an anonymous letter detailing Wilkerson’s sexual abuse and inappropriate actions toward children was sent to multiple law enforcement agencies.

One of those agencies sent the letter to MCSO SVU after determining the jurisdiction for the allegations. Detective Lee was able to locate victims across the country to corroborate and confirm the decades-long sexual abuse. After these four charges were filed and Wilkerson was arrested, additional victims came forward with detailed accounts of abuse by the defendant.

Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Division prosecutors Lisa Stewart and Leah Fiedler, along with Special Victims Division Victim Assistance Coordinator Ilda Rupert, guided and consulted with the victims during the two years following Wilkerson’s arrest.

On January 26, 2023, after decades of wondering if Wilkerson Jr. would ever see justice, multiple victims were present to see him plead guilty and be taken into custody. They were also able to give very powerful victim impact statements in court about the effects of Wilkerson’s crimes.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers, and Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office provided evidence and support necessary to bring these victims justice.

“For decades, these victims wondered if a police officer in such a position of power would ever pay for what he did to them as children. Now, as they described, they can finally live their lives free of the fear that he will be hurting more children,” said Chief Prosecutor Lisa Stewart.

District Attorney Brett Ligon added, “I suspect this man thought he would never be accountable for his crimes, but justice, though it came slowly, came with certainty. I suspect he also believed that his position in law enforcement would somehow protect him, but now he knows that no occupation of any kind will ever excuse the execution of justice when it arrives.”