A Wichita Falls man who was accused of forcing a 17-year-old relative to live in a shed for a year and sexually assaulting her numerous times was sentenced to probation.
Michael Dwaine Polvado, 44, pleaded guilty to prohibited sexual conduct and was sentenced to 10 years of probation Friday in 78th District Court as part of a plea bargain, according to court documents.
The Times Record News reached out Wednesday to the Wichita County District Attorney’s Office for a statement on Polvado’s plea agreement.
He was arrested Nov. 22, 2021, on a charge of aggravated sexual assault in connection with an April. 1, 2019, incident, according to online court and jail records.
The first-degree felony carries a maximum punishment of life in prison.
The woman told police he forced her to live a shed behind his home on North Beverly Drive for much of a year, and he sexually assaulting her constantly until she moved out of town, according to a police affidavit for an arrest warrant. She told police the assaults began in April 2019.
She told police he threatened to kill her if she told anyone, and gang members made him do it or they would kill her mother.
Polvado told a detective that he had consensual sex with the woman after she turned 18, according to the affidavit.
A Wichita County grand jury handed down an indictment in April 2022 for a charge of prohibited sexual conduct, according to court documents.
The third-degree felony, which includes sexual contact with a stepchild, is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
On Friday, 78th District Judge Meredith Kennedy sentenced Polvado to 10 years of probation and to pay $290 in court costs and $55 in reimbursement fees. He received one day of credit for time served in jail. Polvado is required to register as a sex offender.
As part of his probation conditions, Polvado is barred from contact with the victim while he is on community supervision, and he must take part in an outpatient sexual abuse treatment program.