Alabama man sentenced to federal prison
Apr. 10—An Alabama man found guilty of sexually abusing a Pittsburg County child in 2021 was sentenced to federal prison.
Dennis Hebert, 39, of Phenix City, Alabama, was indicted in the Eastern District of Oklahoma in 2022 with a single count of aggravated sexual abuse in Indian Country.
U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White sentenced Hebert to serve a 30 year non-paroleable sentence in a federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
Court records state Hebert engaged in a sexual act with a minor victim who had not reached 10 years of age. Investigators were alerted by the mother of the victim who heard from cousins of the victim that something happened to the victim. The mother then looked at footage from a motion-activated camera in the child's bedroom that showed Hebert kissing and touching the child before locking the door and taking the camera down, according to court records.
In his interview with Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Investigator Dakota Grantham, Hebert initially denied any impropriety, but, after he was confronted with the video, Hebert admitted that he kissed the victim and called it "an experiment," but conceded that he knew it was wrong, court records state.
Hebert was later arrested on August 31, 2022, in Pennsylvania by the U.S. Marshal Service.
Records show Hebert originally wished to plead guilty to the charge before changing his mind during a Jan. 11, 2023, hearing.
A federal jury found Hebert guilty following a three-day trial held in May 2023.
White also ordered the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to determine if Hebert is a suitable candidate for the Intensive Drug Treatment Program and to place him at the federal prison in Seagoville, Texas "to facilitate family contact."
Hebert was also ordered to comply with the requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and attend a sex offender treatment program.
