A Dayton man was sentenced Tuesday to 45 years to life in prison for sex crimes against a young girl between 2011 and 2013.
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara Gorman sentenced Jarod Jones, 28, for five counts he was found guilty of by a jury.
The trial included testimony from the girl, who is now 11, when she described how the man she considered an uncle molested her.
"When a family member abuses that kind of trust, it's almost worse for the child," prosecutor Eric Michener said. "If it's a stranger, you can explain to them that there's bad people in the world.
"But when it's somebody that they have known, and trusted, and told they can trust and love, and has loved them in other ways, to then abuse that trust is one of the worst things that a person can do."
Jones responded, "No, Ma'am" when asked if he wanted to comment before sentencing. Defense attorney Michael Monta requested a sentence of something less than life without the possibility of parole and for consideration of concurrent sentences.
Gorman sentenced Jones to 15 years to life each for Counts 1 and 2, which were for rape of a child younger than 10, and 10 years to life for Count 3, rape of a child younger than 13. She also sentenced Jones to five years each for two counts of gross sexual imposition, but ordered those to run concurrently to each other and consecutive to the other counts.
Gorman admonished Jones and said there was no excuse for his crimes.
"The mental injuries suffered by the victim in this offense due to the conduct of the offender was exacerbated because of the age of the victim," Gorman told Jones. "She also suffered psychological harm as a result of the offense, especially in light of the fact that you, sir, were an uncle figure to her."
Jones also must register as both a Tier II and Tier III sex offender.
"With his age, the earliest he could get out of prison is in his 70's," said Michener, who had lobbied for Jones to spend life in prison with no parole. "So that's pretty close to what he had asked for. We're happy with that."
No victim witnesses spoke during the hearing, although the girl's grandfather and mother were in court.
"They were happy with what the court decided," Michener said. "They felt that there was some small measure of justice and closure for the victim in this case."
Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr., said in a statement: "This little girl disclosed to her teacher who then had the courage to report the abuse to the police. This case should serve as a reminder to all of us that we have the responsibility, and should have the courage, to report child abuse."