CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — A 32–year–old West Virginia man has been sentenced to at least 20 years in prison for molesting a girl who was younger than 10 years old.
The Exponent Telegram reports Christopher Robert Whitehair also was sentenced Monday to 40 years of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender and pay a $1,000 fine. His defense attorney had asked for up to 25 years of home incarceration.
Whitehair’s sentencing was part of a plea deal under which he admitted to incest and sexual abuse and the state dropped additional related charges. Harrison Sheriff’s Detective Lt. Rob Waybright investigated the abuse and has expressed reservations about the deal, despite it being used to prevent the girl from having to testify.
Whitehair will be eligible for parole when he’s 52.