Decades-Old Abuse Outcries Lead to 40-Year Prison Term for Former Amarillo Youth Coach

RANDALL COUNTY, Texas — A former elementary school teacher and youth coach has been sentenced to 40 years in state prison after pleading guilty to child indecency charges stemming from historical abuse cases, the Randall County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Patrick Kenneth Farmer entered a guilty plea on Monday, September 21, 2026, in the 251st District Court, waiving his scheduled jury trial and electing to have the court determine his punishment. On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Judge Ana Estevez handed down the maximum sentence allowed by law, ordering Farmer to serve two 20-year prison terms consecutively for a total of 40 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Positions of Trust and Widespread Abuse

According to evidence presented during the punishment hearing, Farmer utilized positions of community trust and access to groom and sexually abuse young girls in the Amarillo area between 1990 and 2005. During that period, Farmer taught at several local elementary schools, volunteered as a girls’ sports coach, and worked in church youth programs and nurseries.

Authorities have identified at least eight victims connected to Farmer. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Estevez heard testimony from the two victims named in the current indictments, as well as two additional victims who came forward to detail their abuse. Under cross-examination while testifying on his own behalf, Farmer acknowledged the existence of additional victims.

Delayed Outcries and Max Consecutive Terms

The charges in the current case stem from offenses committed in Randall County in 2000 and 2003 that went unreported for two decades until the victims made formal outcries in 2023 and 2024.

Farmer was previously prosecuted in 2006, when he pleaded guilty to indecency with a child involving three other victims and received probation. Because the newly reported offenses occurred prior to his 2006 plea agreement, the Randall County District Attorney’s Office and Amarillo Police Department detectives were able to pursue new charges once the disclosures were made.

Under Texas law, Farmer must serve at least half of his cumulative 40-year sentence before becoming eligible to be considered for parole. Prosecutors noted that Farmer also faces an additional pending child indecency charge in Potter County arising from a recent outcry involving the same timeframe.