ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Bellaire resident Joseph Melvin was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison for one count of rape involving a child.

Melvin was sentenced in Belmont County Common Pleas Court by Judge Chris Berhalter Monday.

Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan said that the sentence calls for at least 10 years before the defendant sees the parole board, and his sentence can be up to life in prison.

“We believe that the defendant will do several decades in prison before he is ever truly considered a candidate for parole, and that is a deserving sentence,” Flanagan said.

He added that Melvin pleaded guilty to the charge on July 28. Melvin was arrested on May 5.

Flanagan said he could not release specific details of the crime so as to protect the victim and the victim’s family. He said that the privacy of the victim is of the utmost importance.

“Victims of these types of cases go through so much, both physically and mentally, so we try not to discuss circumstances or relationships between victims and defendants,” Flanagan said. “Many times, after a sentence such as this, we will gather all of the reports, statements and victim impact information and send it to the parole authority immediately. This way, they will have all the information that they need when the parole hearing occurs, even though it will be years from now.”

Flanagan referenced a case from 1997 that he prosecuted and just attended the parole hearing last year for a child rape case. The defendant had already been in prison custody for 27 years, but the parole board again rejected parole.

“These are cases that the parole authority takes seriously, and they understand the magnitude of these crimes. They further understand, as does this office, the lasting impact that these crimes have on victims,” he said.

Flanagan commended the victim in this matter for having the strength to come forward.

“The mere fact that the victim told someone and was willing to stick with us through the prosecution was the main reason that the defendant got the sentence that he did. These cases can be hard for victims, and we understand that. It is a horrible situation for them to be in, especially a child. Not only do they have to go through such a traumatic experience, they have to be willing to get on the witness stand and face their accuser. Through our victim advocate program, we do our best to assist them with the process and that helps them out greatly,” Flanagan said.

He added that officers from the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, Bridgeport Police Department, the Ohio State Patrol and Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation all participated in this investigation. All played a vital part, and their coordinated efforts were geared toward assisting the victim by achieving a conviction. Flanagan added that the defendant will have to register every 90 days with the sheriff’s office in his county of residence if he is ever released from prison.