Cameron woman sentenced for child sexual abuse
A Cameron woman connected to a heinous child sexual abuse case has been sentenced.
Milam County First Assistant District Attorney Brian Price said 51-year-old Pamela Maret Mason was sentenced Thursday, March 30, during a contested hearing in Judge John Youngblood`s 20th District Court to 20 years in prison on the charge of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.
Price said she pleaded open to the court on the charge and her sentence was contingent on her cooperation in the trial against 51-year-old Mark Aaron Mason back in January.
Price said her cooperation in that case was likely taken into consideration with regard to her own sentencing.
Mark Mason was sentenced in January after a weeklong trial on the first degree felony charge of Continuous Sexual Assault of a Young Child.
Mason was then given life in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. He is not eligible for parole.
Price said both punishments were the maximum allowed.
The DA’s office added further details to the case afterward.
When the victim first made an outcry about the abuse, the Department of Family and Protective Services removed the victim and another minor child from the home and placed them in a safe environment. Both children are currently in a safe, stable home and are getting counseling and therapy. The house where these crimes were committed was seized and then sold, netting more than $68,000 to the City of Cameron.
The case originated with the Milam County Sheriff’s Office back in 2020. During the initial stages of the investigation with the Child Advocacy Center in Belton, interviewers learned the case was actually in Cameron PD jurisdiction.
Cameron PD Investigator Oscar Lopez, with assistance from CPS Special Investigator Doug Smith, was able to quickly complete the investigation and arrest Mason and Maret for the crime. Both were indicted on similar charges.
During a search of their home in this investigation, authorities seized several computers and cell phones.
These seizures would lead to Mason later being indicted on 27 counts of Possession of Child Pornography. That case remains pending at this time.
As to the charges related to the sexual abuse, Probable Cause Affidavits show that Mason and Maret engaged in sexual activities with an 8-year-old boy.
Investigators believe the incidents began during the winter break from school when the boy was 7 and in the 1st grade. Based on interviews with the victim, at least nine incidents occurred between December 2018 and September 2020.