Azle man molested 12-year-old girl as she slept. Minutes later, he called 911 on himself.

April 05--An Azle man was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison for groping a 12-year-old girl as she was sleeping in her home last year, a prosecutor said.

Herbert Peterson, 38, called 911 on himself after the girl woke up and caught him in the act, authorities say.

Peterson pleaded guilty to a charge of indecency with a child and was sentenced Tuesday in the 43rd District Court .

The Azle man will not be eligible for parole for at least five years.

Peterson called Azle police on April 23, 2017, saying, "I groped a 12-year-old girl," and asked officers to come to the residence and arrest him.

The girl was sleeping at a friend's home, and Peterson was staying at the home as well.

"Honestly, I've never had a case quite like this," said Parker County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Swain in an email Wednesday. "Usually 911 calls are made by the victims or a witness, not by the person who commits the crime and then wants to be arrested."

The girl continues to suffer nightmares and has difficulty getting to sleep, the prosecutor said.

"I wake up in tears and crying," the girl told Peterson in a victim impact statement after Peterson was sentenced. "I won't sleep with my door open."

She has also suffered from depression, she said.

"It's so hard for me to trust and not be scared away from home," she told Peterson. "I really do hope you have learned your lesson on this."

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McClatchy

mfaulkner@star-telegram.com

Domingo Ramirez Jr.: 817-390-7763,@mingoramirezjr

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