BEAUMONT, Texas — John David Allen III, 47, was sentenced to 50 years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a child. The Beaumont man had been arrested in December 2022 after police found him harboring a missing 14-year-old Vidor teenager at a residence in Beaumont.
Allen had helped distribute missing person fliers during the search for the teen and had told police he did not know her whereabouts. However, officers located the girl at a home on 10th Street after receiving a tip, ending a search that lasted over three weeks.
Allen faced enhanced sentencing as a habitual offender due to prior convictions, including a 2001 burglary in Orange County and a 2018 failure to register as a sex offender in Dallas County. Because of these, he could have been sentenced to life in prison or 25 to 99 years if found guilty at trial.
Under a plea agreement, three charges—two additional counts of sexual assault and one count of possession of child pornography—were dropped. Allen received concurrent 50-year sentences on the two remaining sexual assault charges.
He was arrested with assistance from deputies in Orange and Jefferson Counties, as well as Child Protective Services. Initially, he was held on a charge of harboring a runaway with bond set at $50,000.
Allen’s defense attorney Norman Reynolds represented him, while prosecutor Sonny Eckhart handled the case for the state. Because Allen pleaded guilty, he waived his right to appeal the sentence.
This remains a developing story, and updates will be provided as new information becomes available.
