Judge sentences 70-year-old Clovis man who molested three children
A 70-year-old Clovis man convicted of child molestation was sentenced to seven years in prison on Tuesday.
Philip T. Morris was arrested by Clovis police on Feb. 15, 2019 and charged with nine felonies, including forcible lewd act upon a child, lewd or lascivious act with a minor and forcible oral copulation.
Police said the three victims were all under the age of 14 and were known to Morris.
“The defendant was in a position of trust and unfortunately he took advantage of that trust,” said Dennis Verzosa, senior deputy district attorney.
Morris, who has no previous criminal history, agreed to plead no contest to three felonies of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor. Police said the crimes were committed between 2009 and 2017.
Judge Heather Mardel Jones said Morris was not eligible for probation and sentenced to him to seven years in prison. The maximum punishment for his crimes was 12 years.
Jones praised the victims for coming forward and sharing what happened to them. They weren’t in the courtroom on Tuesday but they did send letters to the judge.
Verzosa told the judge the victims may be watching the hearing through the live stream on YouTube.
“If the victims are watching I want them to know I did read your letters,” the judge said. “They were well written and very thoughtful. Your pain came through very clearly.”
Verzosa was pleased Morris is going to prison and once he is paroled he will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 3:39 PM.
