Richard Hess

WOODSFIELD — A 73-year-old Jacobsburg man will soon be sentenced for sexual battery of three children.

Richard A. Hess Sr. entered an Alford plea in which he did not admit guilt but acknowledged there was enough evidence for a conviction. The Feb. 16 plea was in response to three charges of sexual battery in Monroe County Court. The hearing was held via video conference.

Prosecutor James L. Peters said the first count involves a child under 13, a second-degree felony.

“It carries a maximum of eight years in prison,” he added.

The other two counts involve sexual assault while the perpetrator was in a parental or supervision role, third-degree felonies, Peters said. Each count carries a maximum of five years in prison, he said.

Hess was indicted in May 2019 following a decades-long joint investigation by the Monroe and Belmont County sheriff’s offices.

The case against Hess involved three victims, two of whom are now adults. One is still under the age of 13. The offenses occurred over a 30-year period, with the first dating back to 1988 and continuing through 2019. Peters said the first victim was assaulted between 1988 and 1994; the second victim’s assault occurred sometime between 1992 and 1999; and the third victim’s assault occurred between 2017 and 2019.

Although two of the three victims are now adults, Peters said all of the allegations stem from when the victims were juveniles.

Hess faces up to 18 years in prison and will have to register as a Tier 3 sex offender.

“That’s a lifetime registration,” Peters added.

A sentencing date has not yet been set. However, Peters said it will most likely occur in the coming weeks.

“Since it’s been about a month since he entered his plea, it will probably be within the next couple of weeks,” Peters said.