An elderly man from Montgomery County will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he was found guilty of abusing multiple boys over the course of years.
81-year-old Albert Carlson of Splendora was found guilty last week for continuous sex abuse of a child.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said there were a total of five victims who testified over the course of Carlson’s trial.
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According to court documents, the investigation began in 2020 after a teen boy made an outcry saying Carlson had sexually assaulted him. Investigators learned there were more victims involved that hey preyed upon in Splendora.
According to Montgomery County District Attorney Chief Prosecutor, Wesley LeRouax, Carlson introduced the boys to the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints and would use religion to lure them into doing sex acts.
“This case really is a classic look at the grooming behavior of predators and child molesters. He would find families who were in need, families who were down on their luck in impoverished situations, and he would offer help. It would slowly become a closer relationship with the children to make his home more inviting and more enticing to the children,” said Chief Prosecutor, Wesley LeRouax.
Records show, Carlson would entice the victims with dirt bikes and ATV’s and tell them he could make them a millionaire.
During the investigation, detectives learned Carlson was arrested on a molestation charge in Utah in the 1980s. Prosecutors said the case also involved an underage boy who Carlson met through the church. That case was dropped to a lewdness charge which did not require Carlson to register as a sex offender, officials said.
That boy is now in his 50’s. LeRouax said it was emotional as he and the other four victims read their impact statements during the trial against their predator. It only took the jury 30 minutes to find Carlson guilty of the years of abuse.
“All they want is to be believed and for Albert Carlson not to hurt another kid ever again,” said LeRouax.
Last week, Carlson was sentenced to life without parole. Prosecutors believe there could be more victims out there.