A Cromwell man was sentenced to eight years in prison for having sex with an underage girl while on house arrest. Pro–Tem Judge Duane Huffer handed down the sentence to Johnny Lee Leer, 28, Thursday morning in Kosciusko?County?Superior Court I. Leer was arrested in?June after police learned he had met a girl on Facebook and had sex with her, court documents state. The victim told police she and Leer began exchanging nude photographs on social media and he then invited her to his house and had sex with her, court records state. Leer was arrested and charged with one count of sexual misconduct with a minor and one count of child solicitation. On Dec. 1 Leer reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. Leer pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor, a level-four felony. The child solicitation charge was dropped. Leer asked the judge for leniency. “I know what I did was wrong. I have to be a man and accept responsibility for my actions,” he said. Huffer said he could not be lenient based on Leer’s prior convictions and the fact Leer was on house arrest at the time of the incident. “You harm young people. I don’t see where I can be lenient,“? Huffer said. Huffer then handed down the sentence, the maximum prison term allowed under the plea agreement. Leer has two prior convictions for voyeurism and burglary in unrelated cases. Leer will receive 190 days credit for time served.
