CLEARFIELD – A 45-year-old Woodland man William James West, who was accused of photographing and sexually molesting a child, was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years to a maximum of 40 years of incarceration in state prison, according to Clearfield County District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr.
On Sept. 27, 2012, Cpl. Mary Jane McGinnis of the Clearfield-based state police filed a criminal complaint, charging West with statutory sexual assault (four counts); involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (five counts); aggravated indecent assault (five counts); sexual abuse of children; corruption of minors; and indecent assault (five counts).
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by McGinnis, in April of 2012, state police investigated the sexual assault of a juvenile female. Upon investigation it was found that West began having sexual intercourse with the victim when she was 11 years old.
The victim told state police that West sexually molested her for a three-year period. It was also found that West had photographed the victim performing oral sex and posing in sexual positions.
On Jan. 8, West tendered a guilty plea to the charges. On Jan. 11, Judge Paul E. Cherry ordered that West undergo a Megan’s Law assessment by the State Sexual Offender’s Assessment Board prior to sentencing.
Yesterday West appeared for a Megan’s Law Hearing after which Cherry declared him a sexually violent predator for purpose of Megan’s Law. Shaw then motioned the court to proceed with sentencing West, which Cherry did.
Shaw was satisfied with the sentence, saying it will send a strong message that this type of reprehensible behavior will absolutely not be tolerated in Clearfield County. He vowed to continual efforts to identify, investigate and prosecute those who victimize children. Shaw was also pleased with the investigative efforts of the Pennsylvania State Police in this matter.
Anyone with knowledge of a crime is asked to call Clearfield County Crime Stoppers at 800-376-4700. All calls to Crime Stoppers are confidential. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by visiting the Clearfield County District Attorney Web site at “www.ClearfieldDA.org” and selecting “Report A Crime.”