Plea agreement filed in child molesting case
GREENCASTLE -- A Greencastle man pled guilty in Putnam County Circuit Court Thursday to three counts of child molesting.
Billy Webster, 36, has been in jail since Sept. 16. He pled guilty to two Class A felony counts and one Class C felony count.
Judge Matthew Headley took a plea agreement in the case under advisement. Under the terms of the agreement, Webster would receive a 20-year sentence for the A felonies and an eight-year sentence on the C felony. The sentences would run concurrently, which means the total sentence for all three counts would be 20 years.
The agreement states that 15 years of the sentence would be executed at the Indiana Department of Correction, while the remaining five would be spent on probation.
Putnam County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Justin Long said the victims and their families were "happy with the agreement," as the victims did not want to have to testify at a trial.
In court Thursday, Webster admitted to having sexual relations with three females under the age of 14 between Jan. 1, 2003 and Sept. 16, 2009. Webster said he had put his fingers in the vagina of one victim, had sexual intercourse with another and fondled the third.
Court documents said Webster threatened his victims, which is why they did not come forward about the molestation sooner.
Webster will be sentenced on June 3. Although a plea agreement has been taken under advisement, Headley is under no obligation to adhere to it. Class A felonies are punishable by up to 50 years -- 20 years is the minimum sentence allowed by statute. The maximum sentence for a Class C felony is eight years.
At Webster's initial hearing, he pled not guilty and his bond was set at $100,000 cash only.
In November 2007, Webster was convicted of Class B felony sexual misconduct with a minor. He received a suspended prison sentence of six years.
His criminal history in Putnam County includes charges of identity deception, criminal trespass and driving while suspended.
At the time the child molestation charges were filed, he was on probation.