Content Warning: The Italy Neotribune does not make it a habit to post the following types of articles. But the subject matter is such that we felt the need to let our community be made aware of the situation. For the safety of our children please read the following news release from the Ellis County District Attorney’s office and know what could happen when we inocently leave our children alone in public places.

Phillip Wayne Waller, a 39 year old male from Maypearl, Texas, was found guilty of Indecency with a Child by an Ellis County Jury on November 9, 2011.  After hearing evidence on punishment, the jury deliberated and returned a verdict assessing Waller’s punishment at the maximum punishment he could receive under Texas law 20 years confinement in the Texas prison system and a fine of $10,000.00.

The father of the victim, a 7 year old boy, testified that while he was taking his 4 year old child to the restroom for a period of 3-5 minutes, he left his son in the toy section at the WalMart store in Midlothian, playing with another child customer. When he returned to his son he found the defendant pressed up behind his son holding his son against his genital area. After a confrontation with the defendant, he ran away. Store employees followed him to his car, gave police descriptions of the defendant and his car, and defendant was detained coming out of the WalMart parking lot. In written statements provided by Waller to Captain Don Cole of the Midlothian Police Department disclosed that Waller had gone to the WalMart “shopping” for a boy. The victim was what he was “shopping for” and that he followed the boy around the toy section “bumping” into him from behind.

At punishment, the jury saw the full size, child like dolls the defendant had constructed and dressed as little boys with which he vented his sexual desires, and also learned in a fourth written statement given by the Defendant to Captain Cole of the defendant’s history back to 1997 of “bumping” into boys at WalMart stores and other places.  Captain Cole described that “Bumping” was Waller’s term for pressing his body against boys and moving up and down.

The Ellis County and District Attorney’s Office thanks the jury for its deliberations and strength in protecting citizens of Ellis County, from a predator who preyed on our children for his own sexual wants, and the Midlothian Police Department for a job well done.

Editors Note: Twenty years just doesn’t seem like enough.