“This is a case where community control or probation would not have been appropriate,” said Aaron Heskett, Clark County assistant prosecutor.
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Young was arrested in April after a 9-1-1 caller reported the abuse. At the time of his arrest, Young admitted to the crime to Springfield police officers and told them that he ‘had a problem and needed help,’ according to an affidavit filed with the case.
Prosecutors hope the child, described as younger than 12 years old, will not suffer lasting damage from the abuse.
“The victim’s age in this case was so young that we hope that won’t be the case — We hope that the memory won’t be there as she gets older,” Heskett said.
According to Springfield police, the crime happened in the same home as a daycare.
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But investigators said they do not believe any of the children enrolled in the daycare were victimized by Young.
“The Springfield Police Department did an excellent job in investigating this case,” Heskett said. “We looked out and cast that net broadly to make sure, and we were unable to find any other victims. We were able to keep this as an isolated incident, which we believe it to be at this time.”
In addition to Young’s prison time, he will also be on parole for five years after he is released and will have to register as a Tier II sex offender for 25 years.
Young’s public defender, Jim Marshall, did not want to provide additional comment after Tuesday’s sentencing.
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