WARREN COUNTY — A man who sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl just days after being released from prison has learned his sentence.
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Robert DeWeese, 37, pleaded guilty to rape, kidnapping with sexual motivation, gross sexual imposition, and abduction.
He was sentenced to 30 to 35.5 years in prison.
On Feb. 6, 2026, DeWeese sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl in the bathroom of a South Lebanon business, according to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell.
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The mother took her daughter to a family bathroom to clean up the child after she had an accident.
When the mother noticed the girl needed a change of clothes, she had her daughter lock the door.
She instructed her daughter not to open the door unless she heard a special knock.
Unbeknownst to the child or her mother, DeWeese was eavesdropping and overheard the special knock, Fornshell said.
Once the mother left, DeWeese did the knock, resulting in the girl opening the door.
The girl tried to close the door after she realized it wasn’t her mother, but DeWeese forced his way inside and sexually assaulted her.
The girl screamed “Stop!” as loud as she could, scaring DeWeese and causing him to run away.
He was arrested at a relative’s home nearby.
DeWeese had previously been arrested for sex crimes in multiple counties, including Clermont, Clinton, Franklin, Fairfield, and Licking.
He was released from prison just three days before he sexually assaulted the girl.
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