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A Muncy man accused of sexually assaulting a minor child on two separate occasions will spend 20 to 40 years in state prison, Judge Eric Linhardt ruled on Thursday.
Dennis Vanness, 20, of 33 N. Main St., Muncy, was on trial for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a child, indecent assault, sexual assault, unlawful, and related charges in late July when he interrupted the trial to plead guilty to the charges, according to Linhardt.
Vaness escaped one count of corruption of minors due to being a minor himself during the first assault.
According to court testimony, Vaness assaulted the minor child twice, two years apart when she was four and six years old respectively.
The victim's entire world has been torn apart, a victim impact statement prepared by the victim's mother, read aloud by Linhardt said, adding that all aspects of the victim’s life has been affected by the violation.
The victim has gone from a happy, trusting child to being guarded and weary of any interaction with men, the letter said.
She is often "lost," the mother said of the victim in the statement, wondering if she did something wrong, and not understanding why this has happened to her.
Maintaining work has been difficult, the mother wrote, due to her distrust of anyone watching her daughter.
Vaness is not sorry, the mother argued, citing the length in time between the two offenses, adding that there is nothing he could do to repair the damage he caused.
Linhardt was visibly frustrated while reading an unsolicited letter in support of Vaness submitted by one of his former early intervention teachers that alleged Vaness' family was not allowed to attend the trial. Linhardt interrupted his reading of the letter, stating, "that is not true."
The letter also alleged that Vaness had told the teacher that he was innocent and had only pleaded guilty because he was advised that it was a better option than fighting the charges, an assertion rejected by defense attorney James Best.
Best called the case, "sad all the way around," because of the effects on the victim, and the young age at which Vaness has ruined his life.
In calling for a light sentence, Best argued that recent research shows that the brain is not fully formed until well into the twenties, stressing that during the first assault, Vaness was "a child himself."
While not dismissing the seriousness of the crime, Best urged the judge to balance the need for justice with the mental health needs of Vaness.
Best also offered that Vaness' guilty plea was indicative of his taking responsibility for the crime.
Assistant District Attorney Jessica Feese, however countered that Vaness' plea came too late to prevent the necessity of the victim having to testify to "two of the worst events in her life."
The effect on the victim cannot be measured in emotionality, Feese said, however, it can be measured by length of time, pointing out that the victim has been dealing with the aftermath of Vaness' actions for 44% of her life.
Revisiting the victim impact statement, Feese questioned Vaness' remorse, stating "he got away with it once and came back for more."
Vaness was soft spoken as he briefly addressed the court, stating that he was "very sorry," adding, "I'd like to get help."
A pre-sentence report read by Lindhardt identified several mental health issues suffered by Vaness, though the report noted that he had not taken advantage of any of the mental health services available to him since incarceration. The report also said Vaness had had two write-ups, resulting in a 20-day and 30-day disciplinary lock-up, respectively.
"You will have all the opportunity you need to get any mental health counseling you seek while in state prison," Lindhardt assured Vaness, before stating that handing down anything less than the sentence imposed would "depreciate the impact on the child victim."
Vaness will get credit for time served in the amount of 615 days.
In addition to his prison sentence, Vaness was ordered to write a letter of apology to the victim. In the victim impact statement, the victim's mother had said it may provide closure for the victim when she gets older, if she chooses to read it.
Vaness will also be required to register as a lifetime sex offender upon his eventual release.