73-Year-Old Gets 20 Years For Child Molesting

The prosecutor says the plea deal is appropriate, given the offender's age.

File photo

(Osgood, Ind.) - An Osgood resident has been sent to prison for 20 years after pleading guilty to child molesting.

William Jones, 73, was sentenced May 17 in Ripley County Circuit Court, about a month after he was first charged. He had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of Child Molesting (level 1 felony).

Prosecutor Ric Hertel said the sentence was appropriate for Jones, considering his age. The Indiana Department of Corrections lists Jones’ projected release date as June 9, 2035. He would be 90-years-old then.

The prosecutor said Jones was being transported weekly to dialysis appointments by the Ripley County Sheriff’s Office.

The plea deal also keeps the female victim from having to testify at a trial.

 

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