Ken Paxton Slammed Over Shocking Plea Deal Allowing Accused Repeat Child Sex Offender One Day in Jail

A one-day jail sentence proposed for a man accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a young boy has ignited a bipartisan revolt against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to court transcripts and hearing records.

Court transcripts reveal that prosecutors from Paxton's office initially sought to let Adam Dean Hoffman, a former Waco attorney, plead to two misdemeanours in exchange for a single day behind bars.

The deal, in a case Paxton's office took over roughly three years ago after the local district attorney recused himself, would have let Hoffman plead guilty to two misdemeanours and serve just one day in jail.

A visiting judge, the victim's mother and lawmakers from both parties have since accused Paxton of shielding an accused predator as he battles for the Republican Senate nomination.

Why a Judge Called Paxton's 'One Day' Plea Deal 'Incomprehensible'

Hoffman stood accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a young boy over several years. Court records show he was accused of raping the child and showing him pornography.

His first trial, held last summer, ended in a hung jury after nine hours of deliberation, with jurors split roughly evenly on guilt.

Rather than retry the case, prosecutors Brenda Cantu and Dorian Cotlar proposed dropping the felony charge of continuous sexual abuse of a young child.

In its place, Hoffman would plead guilty to indecent assault and displaying harmful material to a minor, with prosecutors recommending a sentence of 'time served' – the single day he had spent in custody after his initial arrest.

Visiting Judge Roy Sparkman was incredulous when the deal reached his courtroom on 16 April 2026.

'One day. Seriously? Somebody has to sell me on the wisdom of it,' he said, according to the hearing transcript.

He refused to accept it outright, forcing prosecutors to renegotiate on the spot.

Mother's Anguished Plea to Judge Over 'Impossible Situation'

Under pressure from the bench, Cantu proposed a revised deal: 30 days in jail, surrender of Hoffman's law licence, and a lifetime protective order barring contact with the victim.

Crucially, because Hoffman's admission did not specify the victim's age in the plea documents, the offence did not require him to register as a sex offender.

The boy's mother reluctantly agreed, later telling reporters, as recorded in the court transcript, that she felt cornered by prosecutors who reminded her that 'they represent the state, not us, and that they can do it without me.'

By the formal sentencing on 27 April, protesters had gathered outside the McLennan County courthouse, and the mother reversed course.

'It's just not enough. He's dangerous. This isn't justice, and I can't do it,' she told Sparkman, who responded by raising the sentence to 60 days.

Hoffman ultimately served 29 to 30 days before release for good behaviour, according to court records and local media reports, and has not registered as a sex offender.

Judge Exposes Troubling Pattern of Leniency in Paxton Office Cases

Sparkman used the sentencing hearing to raise concerns extending well beyond Hoffman's case.

'I'm seeing a pattern here that is concerning me. If they get a mistrial, all of a sudden it's just a little misdemeanour with a slap on the hand,' he told the courtroom.

He noted it was 'not my first go-round with the Attorney General's Office,' pointing to a separate case involving Waco attorney Seth Sutton, who was charged with soliciting capital murder but ultimately pleaded to a misdemeanour and served just four days in jail.

Sparkman also cited a third case involving Bexar County defendant Rakim Sharkey.

Sharkey was charged in 2017 with continuous trafficking of persons, accused of forcing two girls and a woman into commercial sexual exploitation, yet received probation and avoided sex-offender registration after his case ended in a 2022 mistrial.

He was later rearrested on separate felony charges, had his probation revoked, and is now serving a 22-year prison sentence.

District Attorney Josh Tetens, who recused himself from the Hoffman case, said publicly he could not recall a comparable felony being reduced so dramatically.

Bipartisan Fury Threatens Paxton's Senate Bid

The fallout has become a defining issue in Texas's 2026 Senate contest.

Then-rival Senator John Cornyn accused Paxton of cutting Hoffman loose 'to reoffend over and over again, putting more children at risk,' while Republican state Representative Jeff Leach demanded internal records, calling the deal 'incomprehensible'.

Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico has since seized on the controversy, publicly demanding Paxton release all internal communications tied to the case.

Talarico's campaign compared the episode to the push for transparency in the Jeffrey Epstein files, arguing that 'those documents need to be made public immediately so Texans can get answers about this corrupt deal.'

Paxton's office has rejected the records request and referred inquiries to a letter its prosecutors sent lawmakers explaining that the victim did not wish to testify again.

IBTimes UK contacted Paxton's campaign for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Paxton's Senate campaign has not offered a substantive on-the-record rebuttal to the mounting bipartisan criticism, leaving the Hoffman case to shadow his candidacy through the general election.