Blanton Gets 10 Years For Child MolestingA child molester was sent to prison for 10 years Thursday despite his attorney’s request to keep him in the county jail.
Trece Douglas Blanton, 21, of 1202 Wooster Road, lot 6, Winona Lake, appeared Thursday in Kosciusko Superior Court I in front of Special Judge Jerry Barr and was convicted of child molesting, a Level 3 felony. The three other Level 3 child molesting charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Barr sentenced Blanton to 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, with two years suspended to formal probation. Blanton also will have to register as a sex offender and a sexually violent predator upon his release because his victim was 6 years old at the time of the incident.
Blanton was arrested in late February after Winona Lake Police received a report of Blanton having molested a 6-year-old child multiple times.
In court Thursday, Blanton said, “I would like to apologize to the victim of this case. I just hope if (the victim) is here or around this area, (the victim) can see that I wish forgiveness and I do deeply apologize.”
Blanton’s attorney, Jay Rigdon, blamed Blanton’s behavior on Blanton having “less tools in his toolbox than most” when Blanton “came into adulthood.”
Rigdon asked Barr to sentence his client to 1 to 1-1/2 years in the Kosciusko County Jail and not to send him to the department of corrections. Rigdon contended his client is a low risk to reoffend.
Kosciusko County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Voelz had nothing to add in court Thursday besides referring to the plea agreement that called for the judge’s discretion when it came to the length of incarceration but that the executed time is not to exceed nine years.
Barr, who was presiding over the bench instead of Superior Court I Judge David Cates, was a longtime judge in Hamilton County. His first question was how old the victim in the case was.
“Mr. Blanton ... the fact is that as Mr. Rigdon pointed out, you have maybe not been fully equipped to deal with some issues,” Barr said. “But we do understand that you’re 21 years old. You were an adult and graduated high school, so you have some understanding of relationships with not only adults but with children.”
Barr said the excuse that Blanton might not be as bright as for example, the people representing him or prosecuting him in the courtroom Thursday, is not an excuse for his behavior.
“That does not mean you don’t know how to act,” Barr said. “The conduct is very serious. Very serious, indeed. It’s a Level 3 felony. This is a serious, serious offense.”
Blanton has accrued 113 actual jail days credit and was remanded to the custody of the sheriff to be transported to prison.
