Area man to serve 40 years on assault charge

Daniel Lynn Keeton was sentenced to 40 years in prison for an aggravated assault against his former girlfriend by Judge Todd Blomerth in the 421st District court following a jury trial last week.
A Caldwell County jury found Keeton guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after hearing the victim relate a story of months of continued abuse by Keeton, culminati

ng on Sept. 5, 2005 when he threatened to kill her with a glass bottle.
The case was tried by Criminal District Attorney Chris Schneider and Assistant District Attorney Whitney Wiedeman. Keeton was represented by John Butler of Austin.
The defendant elected to have the court assess the punishment in his case in the event of conviction.
He pled true to having been previously convicted and sent to prison three times of felony offenses over the past 30 years. Because of the prior prison sentences, the defendant was found by the Court to be a habitual violator, making his range of punishment not less than 25 years and not more than 99 years or life in prison.
“We are extremely grateful to the jury in this case and we are hopeful that this will bring some peace of mind to the victim who endured continued abuse at the hands of this man,” Schneider said. “We hope this will encourage and strengthen other victims of domestic abuse to come forward and report the abuse that we know is not being reported.”
Schneider also expressed his gratitude to Taylor Skaar, a domestic abuse counselor with the Hays-Caldwell Women”s Center.
“[Skaar] testified and explained to the jury why victims in this situation often endure months or even years of this type of violence without reporting it to the police,” he said.
(Courtesy of Chris Schneider)