James Talarico stood on the steps of the McLennan County Courthouse in Waco on Thursday, June 18, 2026, and demanded that Ken Paxton release communications from his office about a child sex abuse plea deal. Talarico said the records would show how the deal came together in the case of Adam Dean Hoffman.
The 49-year-old Hoffman was charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a young boy. Under the plea deal, he had to serve 30 days in jail, admit to molesting the victim and surrender his law license, but he did not have to register as a sex offender.
Waco plea deal records
Talarico, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, tied his demand to the court record itself. He said, "If there’s anything that all Texans can agree on — Democrats and Republicans, progressive and conservatives — it’s that no one, not even the attorney general of Texas, should be able to cover up crimes against children," as he spoke from the courthouse steps in Waco.
The request targeted communications from Paxton's office showing how the plea deal was assembled. Talarico wants the material released publicly, placing the handling of the case at the center of his criticism of Paxton.
Brenda Cantu and Dorian Cotlar
Assistant Attorneys General Brenda Cantu and Dorian Cotlar wrote in a May 15 letter to a state lawmaker that the plea deal was "made entirely in the best interest of the child involved." They also wrote that the child had "preferred to move on with his life" and wanted to "spare himself the continued trauma of having to face his abuser in court."
That explanation sits alongside the terms of the deal itself. Roy Sparkman had rejected an initial deal that would have let Hoffman serve just one day in jail, before the later agreement called for 30 days in jail and the loss of his law license.
The Texas records
The Texas Tribune, The Texas Newsroom and KWBU uncovered the trial transcript and other court records last month. Those records showed the case ended in a mistrial after the victim refused to testify for a second time, a development that helped explain why the plea agreement became the path out of the case.
The immediate next step is on Paxton's office, which has been asked for the communications Talarico wants released. The public record now includes the plea terms, the May 15 letter and the mistrial history, but the requested office communications would be the missing piece if they are made public.
