A Weatherford man stood trial the week ending May 15, when a Parker County jury convicted him of molesting a 14-year-old girl and sentenced him to life in prison.
Michael Gentry Harding, 52, was convicted of indecency with a child for a March 2023 offense. During the punishment phase of trial, jurors heard Harding had prior felony convictions for receiving stolen property in California, possession of chemicals to manufacture methamphetamine in Arizona, burglary in Nevada and that he was a habitual offender.
During the trial, the victim testified she had gone to hang out at a friend’s home near Harding’s residence. He came over and was hanging out with the teens, eventually providing them with liquor. During this time, the two teens testified that Harding occasionally slapped them each on the bottom, which only made them uncomfortable after they realized he was intoxicated.
