A Deltona man was sentenced June 26 to mandatory life in prison for repeated sexual battery of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material.
Ralph Slone pleaded no contest to seven counts of sexual battery on a victim less than 12 years of age; lewd/lascivious molestation on victim less than 12 years of age; eight counts of promotion of sexual performance by a child; and eight counts of possession of sexual performance by a child.
The abuse was discovered after Slone asked his wife to clear space on his phone. His wife started going through the photos to see which ones she could delete when she discovered the child sexual abuse material, which launched the investigation. The child was 8-years-old, according to court records.
Slone, 66, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in which he would serve life in prison and would also be designated a sexual predator. Slone pleaded no contest and was adjudicated guilty.
Circuit Judge Karen Foxman presided over the case.
“We are grateful that our victim and the family are spared a protracted process culminating in a jury trial,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case. “The process is a brutal and often terrifying experience for them all. Justice is not perfect, but at least in this case it was swift.”
The case was investigated by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Jeanne Stratis successfully prosecuted the case for the state, according to a release from Haley Harrison, public information officer for the State Attorney’s Office.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Deltona man sentenced to life, designated sexual predator for sexually abusing child
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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