Sex offender gets max for relationship with teen

A 37-year-old Springfield man accused of having a sexual relationship with a relative claimed he was trying to teach the teen about sex.

Aaron Hammond was sentenced to 18 months in prison for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The charge was part of a plea deal on the case that started in February 2010.

According to Springfield police, Hammond committed sex acts with a girl under the age of 15 in a home on Pleasant Street and then a year later in a home on Mansfield Avenue. During his sentencing before Clark County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard O’Neill, Hammond said he was trying to teach the girl about sex but went about it the wrong way because he “didn’t have any help.”

“I just want to apologize that we’re here. I understand what I did was wrong, but it wasn’t for my sexual needs,” he said. “I was trying to teach.”

The girl’s legal guardian spoke on her behalf at the hearing, saying she doesn’t believe Hammond thinks what he did was wrong.

“She has a lifetime of healing to do,” she said. “There are morals and social rules that we have to follow. I believe Aaron just does not seem to think that he has to follow the same ones that everyone else does.”

Shawn Murphy, Hammond’s attorney, asked his client be given community control since he will already have to register as a Tier 2 sex offender for the next 25 years. O’Neill said he gave the maximum sentence because of his prior criminal history, which includes several probation violations.

Murphy said he will file an appeal for his client.

About the Author