My son was just convicted of Sexual Assault of a Child (2 counts) and something about inappropriate behavior between an educator and a student. The jury listened to the girl's testimony and even heard her caught in a lie (claimed to have "felt" a mole that didn't exist), but because the trial was in West Texas and a teacher had been aquitted two months earlier (to a great outcry from the community), they found him guilty on all charges. The jury issued him a sentence of 13 years on each count. The judge then made the politically correct move and stacked the sentences. The judgement said that he would be eligible for parole after serving half of the sentence, so does the stacking mean that he must serve 13 years before he is eligible for parole? The two secondary counts are to be served concurrently. We are appealing, but in Texas this is usually a futile effort. If the appeals are denied or not heard, is there a way to ask for a reduction in sentence? This was a first offense (that didn't happen).