Teen in Ben Logan school bus sex assaults sentenced to rehabilitation program

BELLEFONTAINE — The 16-year-old Benjamin Logan High School student who took a plea deal in October after he was accused of sexually assaulting young girls on a school bus learned his sentence Tuesday.

RELATED: Parents of victims assaulted on school bus want teen locked up

Initially indicted in nine criminal counts, the teenager pleaded guilty to rape by force and no contest to three counts of gross sexual imposition.

Five charges were dropped as a result of the plea agreement with the Logan County Prosecutor's Office.

The court ordered the teen to stay in the Logan County Juvenile Detention Center until he is accepted into a lockdown rehabilitation program, which means the teen is not free to come and go as he pleases. That program is expected to take approximately six months to complete.

Following the completion of the program, the teen will remain under probation until he turns 18 -- although he will be under the Logan County Juvenile Court’s jurisdiction until he is 21.

Should he re-offend before age 21, he will have to serve time in either the Department of Youth Services or an adult prison setting.

Where he would be behind bars and for how long depends on the offense that was committed.

As part of the sentence that was handed down on Tuesday, another sexual offense could yield  up to 10 years in prison.

>> PREVIOUS: Teenager accepts plea deal in assaults on girls aboard Ben Logan school bus

The judge said they took their time in terms of sentencing because the case involved a serious youthful offender specification and that resulted in a blended sentence of adult and juvenile punishments.

The teen had been free from custody since the plea deal on an electronic monitoring bracelet.

A sex offender classification for the teen is still under consideration, but a decision on that element of sentencing was tabled during today’s proceedings.

He also was ordered to not have contact with the victims or any other young children.