HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A former San Marcos man was sentenced Oct. 10 in connection with three charges related to the sexual abuse of a child, according to the Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. Records showed 34-year-old Joseph Pavelka IX was found guilty by a jury of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact. A judge sentenced Pavelka to serve six years in prison on all three counts, which will run concurrently. He must also be registered as a sex offender for the duration of his life, according to the DA’s office. According to a release from the county, Pavelka was found guilty of sexually abusing the victim from the ages of six and seven while he was 17 and 18 years old at the time. “The evidence showed that the abuse was not immediately disclosed due to the defendant’s threats made to the victim, including that she would ‘get in trouble’ and that she would not be believed,” the office said. During Pavelka’s trial, the victim’s childhood journals were presented as evidence. They described the abuse and emotional trauma experienced because of Pavelka, according to the DA’s office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Cassidy Story and Rowan St. John. “We would like to thank the victim for her patience and courage to face her abuser after years of being silenced,” Story said. “The jury’s verdict sent a message to her and this community that they will not tolerate child sexual abuse, regardless of the time it took for the perpetrator’s crimes to be revealed." The DA’s office said Pavelka was not eligible for probation based on the severity of the offenses.