A Bellefontaine man that previously admitted to illegal contact with a juvenile could spend the rest of his life in prison following a sentence handed down Tuesday in Logan County Common Pleas Court.
Patrick D. Newsome, 28, was sentenced by Judge Kevin P. Braig to 20 years-to-life for charges including rape, a first-degree felony; and illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, a second-degree felony.
In September, Newsome was charged by officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department following a complaint regarding the sexual assault of a young male, age 7. The parents came to be suspicious of an adult male who had befriended the family.
The investigation over the course of the next day led detectives and officers to the service of a search warrant at the residence of the suspect at 424 Woodland Drive.
At that time, contact was made with Newsome, who had been identified as the suspect.
Officers said he voluntarily agreed to be transported to the police department at that time. The investigation revealed that the defendant initiated inappropriate sexual contact with the victim over the course of at least several months.
The sentence passed Tuesday was jointly recommended to the court by Logan County Assistant Prosecutor Alice Robinson-Bond and Newsome’s defense team of Jacob Estes and Gregory Harvey.
During the sentencing hearing, Robinson-Bond informed the court that prosecutors recommended the indefinite aggregate prison sentence of 20 years-to-life instead of life without parole in order to spare the victim from potentially being required to testify in a trial.
In the event he is ever released from prison, Newsome will be required to registered as a Tier III sex offender for life and will be subject to five-years of post-release control supervision by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
Prior to pleading guilty in this case, Newsome had no criminal record and had never been charged with a crime of any kind. Newsome was a neighbor of the victim of his family who gained their trust over a number of years.