GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - A Grand Junction man will spend the rest of his life in prison for sexually assaulting three young girls.

Thirty seven-year-old Nerio "Ned" Martinez was sentenced to 192 years to life in prison Monday afternoon, following his conviction earlier this year on 65 counts related to sexually assaulting a child.

"Still in my nightmares" and "three minutes go by, I might need to die" were just some of the emotional words one of Martinez's victims included in a poem she wrote that was read out loud during his sentencing hearing.

"It's emotional, I think, for us all," says Rich Tuttle, assistant District Attorney. "It's not easy going through the criminal justice process on a case like this."

Court documents spell out in graphic detail 17 separate incidents in which Martinez had sexual contact with the three girls, all of whom were under the age of 15. The encounters happened over the course of several years.

"It's satisfying to finally get to the end of the road and see a just sentence imposed," says Tuttle.

Martinez was given 64 years in prison for each victim, was ordered to undergo a sex offender treatment program, and is barred from any contact with females 15 years and younger. During the hearing, the judge determined that because he had five prior, unrelated felony convictions, he was a habitual offender -- which automatically increased the number of years he would have to serve in prison.

"This allows [the victims] to get on to the next stage of their lives, which hopefully is putting this behind them," says Tuttle.

While this case may be behind them, officials say getting a handle on the larger issue of child sex assault in our community is still well in front of them.

"Our numbers do remain steady throughout the years," says Shari Zen, executive director of the Western Slope Center for Children.

The center, which advocates for victims of suspected child abuse, says it's on track to help 300 kids this year -- which would be an increase from 2009.

Zen says while there's no silver bullet that will make this problem go away for good, the best way to help is to report suspected abuse.

"Please don't turn away a child who is asking for your help," says Zen. "It's so important for you to believe that child and what they're telling you because statistics show that more children lie that it didn't happen than they lie about the possibility of being abused."

If you suspect a child is being abused, you can call a special child abuse prevention hotline at (970) 242-1211. The hotline is up and running 24 / 7 and callers are able to leave anonymous tips.