Raleigh County man sentenced to maximum 130 years in prison for sexually abusing his stepdaughter | crime

A Raleigh County man who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing his 11-year-old stepdaughter the same month the child’s mother and sister died in a car crash was sentenced Monday to a maximum sentence of 130 years .

The verdict is the result of a guilty plea by former volunteer firefighter William Lee Pettry, 36, who was filed in March on charges of first-degree sexual assault, sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, guardian or person in a position of trust and use of a was involved in the production of child porn as a minor.

According to Raleigh County prosecutor Ben Hatfield, Pettry sexually abused his 11-year-old stepdaughter between March 2023 and July 2023.

The sexual abuse was discovered in late July when a relative of the 11-year-old found a video of Pettry on the child’s cell phone causing the child to engage in sexual acts.

The sexual abuse began shortly after the deaths of Pettry’s wife and their 3-year-old daughter in a hit-and-run.

Raleigh County District Judge Andrew G. Dimlich imposed the sentence, ruling that Pettry’s sentences for his crimes would run consecutively, giving him a minimum sentence of 37.5 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 130 years.

Pettry’s defense attorney argued for Pettry’s sentences to run concurrently, which would have given Pettry a sentence of 25 to 100 years in prison.

However, Dimlich sided with the prosecutor who asked for the consecutive sentences, stating that the seriousness of the crimes, the victim’s age and Pettry’s lack of remorse for the crimes left no room for leniency.

Hatfield said when state police first interviewed Pettry, he blamed the victim for his crimes, implying that the then 11-year-old child instigated the encounters.

“The judge was quoted as saying that he had shown a lack of remorse and that (Pettry) did not deserve punishment because he had no criminal record … that he deserved the full severity and authority of the maximum sentence,” Hatfield said.

Hatfield said no one from the victim’s family spoke during the sentencing, although the 11-year-old and one of her relatives were present during the sentencing.

Hatfield said he believes this is the first time the victim has been in the same room with Pettry since his arrest.

“I think that speaks to the progress she is making in her own recovery and mental health following this incident,” he said.

Hatfield added that since Pettry sentenced his stepdaughter to a lifetime of dealing with the trauma he caused, it was only fitting that Pettry should also suffer lifelong consequences.

Hatfield said cases like these are “close to his heart” because they affect the most vulnerable population.

“Kids this age and younger rely on people, they trust people, and the idea that there’s a monster under the bed or a monster in the closet is a little bit untrue; “The monster is right outside,” he said. “In this case, it was the stepfather who was supposed to look after her and love her and guide her through this very difficult time in her life, but he took advantage of the added vulnerability of her being emotionally and emotionally vulnerable to groom and sex,” she said abuse over a long period of time.”

If Pettry is ever paroled after serving at least 37.5 years, Hatfield said Pettry would be required to remain under supervision for 50 years after his release and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.