Former Hull-Daisetta coach convicted of sexual assault of student

A former Hull-Daisetta High School girls’ athletics coach and youth pastor has been convicted of having a sexual relationship with a student.

Jeffrey Brent Martin, 37, now of Tyler County, was found guilty this week in the 253rd State District Court in Liberty County of Sexual Assault of a Child and Attempt to Commit Indecency With a Child by Exposure.

Martin was sentenced to 10 years of probation and must register as a sex offender for life. As part of the terms of his probation, he is required to report to the Liberty County Jail every Friday by 6 p.m. and remain in custody until 6 p.m. Sunday, every weekend, for the next three years.

While some may view the sentence as lenient, Liberty County Assistant District Attorney Mark Boemio, who prosecuted the case, said challenges during the trial played a role in the outcome. According to Boemio, witness testimony raised the possibility of a mistrial, which could have prolonged the case for years.

Prosecutors said the relationship between Martin and the victim, then 15 years old, began when she was a sophomore and continued into her junior year. The outcry was first made in March 2020, leading to charges against Martin.

Testimony during the trial highlighted serious failures by Hull-Daisetta ISD administrators in how the initial complaint was handled.

In her statements to investigators, the victim said that she remembered hearing her aunt banging on the locked gym door the day she was inside with Martin. The aunt had stopped at the gym after noticing Martin’s vehicle parked outside; he had picked up her niece earlier in the day, and she grew concerned. When she found the doors locked, she reported her concerns to school officials.

Her account was later corroborated by the victim’s best friend, who was also a student at the time.

Instead of treating the allegation seriously, then-principal Quinn Godwin dismissed the complaint. He told the girl’s aunt that she was making accusations without proof, that as a transplant to the community she was going to ruin a man’s reputation, and warned that if she wanted to continue working at the school as a substitute teacher, she needed to stop pursuing the matter.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Boemio said he confronted Godwin during the trial, telling him that his comments to the aunt sounded like a threat. Godwin admitted on the stand that, in hindsight, it certainly did.

Pct. 2 Deputy Constable Chad Langdon, who investigated the case after it finally came to light, testified that then-superintendent Mary Huckabay met privately with Martin before calling the joint meeting with the victim, Martin, Godwin and herself. During that private meeting, Huckabay reportedly provided Martin with documentation regarding legal assistance.

She then held a joint meeting with all four parties present, a move Langdon described as inappropriate since the victim was not separated from her alleged assailant. When Langdon later asked Huckabay to provide a statement regarding the meetings and the district’s investigation, she submitted a three-sentence note saying she could not recall details and referring all questions to Godwin.

Huckabay was subpoenaed to appear but was in Tennessee and did not return in time for the trial.

The conviction permanently bars Martin from ever serving as a teacher again. Under the terms of his sentence, if he violates any condition of his probation, he could face the full range of punishment for his crimes — up to 20 years in prison.

As part of his plea agreement, Martin must remain on the Texas sex offender registry for the rest of his life. Normally, an offender can petition to be removed from the registry after 15 years, but Martin’s agreement prevents him from ever seeking that relief.

Prosecutors noted that, had the outcry been made sooner, Martin could have faced a charge of Improper Relationship Between an Educator and Student. However, because the report of the abuse was delayed, the statute of limitations on that charge had expired by the time the case went to trial.