HAMILTON — To the dismay of a 4-year-old rape victim's family, the teen-aged boy who committed the offense was permitted Tuesday to plead guilty to rape in Butler County Juvenile Court.

        The little girl's family had hoped the 18-year-old boy, who was 17 when he committed the crime, would be forced to stand trial as an adult and face a much stiffer sentence. But the county prosecutor's office withdrew its request to try him as an adult in exchange for the guilty plea.

        “He deserves adult punishment,” said the girl's 20-year-old sister. “A life sentence wouldn't be enough for what he did.”

        After the guilty plea, Judge David Niehaus sentenced the boy to the state juvenile detention system until his 21st birthday, when the law requires him to be released. He will serve no more than 28 months in a juvenile detention facility.

        If he had been convicted of rape with the use of force in adult court, he would have faced a life prison sentence. Rape without force would have brought a maximum sentence of 10 years. The little girl's mother, who lives in Trenton, said she was “just in shock” that the boy won't stand trial as an adult.

        The rape occurred in June or July of last year at the Somerville home of the boy's mother, who had been baby-sitting the girl since she was an infant.

        Despite the charge against him, the boy was allowed to graduate this spring from Edgewood High School.

        Judge Niehaus also ordered the boy to receive sexual offender treatment while he's incarcerated.

        Assistant prosecuting attorney Brad Burress said he entered into the plea bargain because reports from two psychologists and a social worker strongly recommended keeping the boy in the juvenile system to receive sexual offender treatment.

        Judge Niehaus said the boy is not a pedophile and that he doesn't expect him to repeat his offense.

        In court, the boy apologized for his actions and said he hoped the little girl's family would forgive him.

        But the family expressed no forgiveness.

        “I will never forgive you for what you did to (my sister) and her family,” the girl's 20-year-old sister said to the boy in court.

        “What you took away from her she will never be able to get back. I hope this haunts you for the rest of your life.”
       

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