COVINGTON, Ky . – A man convicted of rape and other sex crimes against a Northern Kentucky girl has been sentenced to 23 years in prison after a first-of-its-kind hearing at his trial, according to a news release.
A middle-school student told Florence police in 2016 that Micah Schoettle had repeatedly sexually assaulted her since she was 9 years old, according to Kenton County Commonweath’s Attorney Rob Sanders.
When the victim testified at Schoettle’s trial last May, Schoettle’s attorney called multiple witness to try to discredit her. For the first time in Kentucky, a Daubert hearing was conducted in which the Commonwealth presented evidence regarding certain behavioral patterns of children who have been sexually abused, Sanders said.
That allowed a psychologist to testify regarding delayed disclosure in cases of child sexual abuse, according to Sanders.
The jury found Schoettle guilty of rape, sodomy and sexual abuse and recommended a prison sentence of 23 years. Judge Patricia Summe passed sentence on Schoettle last month.
