Texas man, 80, sentenced for child sex crimes that occurred on MS Coast Navy base

An 80-year-old man from Texas was sentenced to 15 years in prison for felony sex crimes against children that occurred for several years on a Mississippi Coast Navy base.

Julius Robert Palafox, of San Antonio, will be 95 years old before he is eligible for release after Circuit Court Judge Larry Bourgeois handed down the maximum sentence for the two counts of touching a child for lustful purposes, District Attorney Crosby Parker said in a press release.

The NCIS investigation began in December 2020, when Palafox was accused of inappropriately touching two minor children over the course of several years at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport.

The abuse occurred when Palafox visited the area for Thanksgiving and the following week, the minors told authorities.

“Forensic Interviews were conducted on the two children, who both disclosed numerous incidents of unlawful touching occurring over a period of years,” Crosby said in the news release.

Assistant District Attorney Ian Baker, who prosecuted the case, said Palafox made “several incriminating statements” in recorded interviews that ultimately led to his guilty plea.

Palafox will serve his sentence in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

“The conviction and sentence in this case are a direct result of two children who bravely came forward to bring their abuse to light, and the hard work of the men and women of NCIS who investigated the case in a thorough and professional manner,” Parker said.