Ex-ice cream shop owner gets house arrest in abuse case
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A former suburban Pittsburgh ice cream shop owner originally sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison in a sex abuse case will now spend only two years on house arrest under a plea deal.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that 65-year-old David Higginbotham pleaded guilty in Allegheny County to six counts rather than the 12 counts he was convicted of three years ago.
Higginbotham, former owner of a Handel’s ice cream shop in McCandless, was scheduled for retrial Monday but entered pleas to unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault and corruption of minors. He will spend 10 years on probation.
Authorities alleged that he molested two young girls from 2008 to 2013. An appeals court last year ordered a new trial, citing improper testimony by a witness.