Stoystown man sentenced for indecent assault of child less than 13
The mother of a young victim told the court that the Stoystown man sentenced for felony indecent assault against her child has caused that child to always be "afraid."
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Richard Lane McClucas, 47, was sentenced to 27 months to 72 months in state prison. He was credited for 592 days for time served awaiting the results of his case.
According to court documents, during an interview on May 13, 2020, at the Somerset Child Advocacy Center, the child said McClucas was emotionally and physically abusive to (the child) and the mother.
“(The child) was punched by McClucas and had to wear long sleeve shirts to hide bruises,” the court document states. The juvenile said that the mother was not told about the abuse, because of fear McClucas would harm the mother.
After a plea arrangement where several charges were dismissed, including rape of a child and involuntary deviant sexual assault for an incident on August 1, 2017, he pleaded guilty on Jan. 3, according to court documents.
"His criminal act has permanently left a mark on my (child)," the mother said from the podium in front of Bittner's bench. The incidents occurred in 2016 and 2017 when her child was 8 or 9-years-old.
The mother called the defendant "disgusting" and "uncaring."
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McClucas was examined by the Sexual Offender Assessment Board that determined "he is not a sexually violent predator" according to Public Defender Director Tiffany Stanley, who providing the defense.
The assessment board is an independent board of psychiatrists, psychologists and criminal justice experts appointed by the governor. The court-ordered assessment requires the board to address the referral question, “Does the offender have a personality disorder or mental abnormality that makes it likely he will engage in predatory sexual violence?”
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McClucas was charged with the crime in this case on June 26, 2020. At his sentencing, the judge ordered that he must participate in supervised probation for three years following his release from prison.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Mother at sentencing: Stoystown man's acts caused constant fear
