Sep 10, 2022 3 min read

A North Strabane man who sexually assaulted a girl over several years was given a hefty sentence Friday after the judge found his statement to the court to be more “victim blaming” than an actual apology.

Joshua David Otey, 41, was arrested June 2020 after he was caught sexually assaulting the girl following a years-long relationship when she was between the ages of 10 and 15.

He pleaded guilty in Washington County Court in April to felony charges of aggravated indecent assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a minor.

“I’m sorry to everyone, and I do mean everyone,” Otey told the court before his sentencing.

But his statement then turned into a self-serving speech in which he told the court that he thought he was in a relationship with the girl and that he did not know it was illegal, despite her being a juvenile and nearly 25 years younger than him. He then discussed how a lengthy prison sentence could negatively impact his personal and professional life while never addressing how he affected the victim.

“I may have committed a crime, but I don’t have a criminal mind,” Otey said.

Judge Brandon Neuman appeared bewildered by Otey’s comments and indicated that he showed no remorse for his actions. Neuman sentenced Otey to serve 12 ½ to 25 years in a state prison, more than double what he could have faced in the standard range for the two felony counts.

“I found (the statement) to be victim blaming and found it to be selfish,” Neuman said during sentencing.

The victim, who attended the sentencing hearing, cried and hugged her grandmother as Otey spoke to the court. Earlier, she told Neuman about the impact of holding the “secrets” of Otey’s actions before his arrest.

“You are a foul, sick creature,” she told Otey.

She said the sexual assaults began she was 10 and continued until she was 15, when he was arrested by North Strabane police.

“I’m done with it all and want it to be over,” she said of the situation.

Assistant District Attorney Kevin Scheibel also used the phrase “victim blaming” after listening to Otey’s statement. He said Otey’s “deviant behavior” ultimately “fractured two separate sets of families” and caused the victim years of anguish.

Several of Otey’s relatives also attended the sentencing and spoke on his behalf, asking for leniency.

Otey, who was shackled and wearing a jail jumpsuit, has been jailed since his arrest more than two years ago, so he will be given credit for time served. A pre-sentence report found that he was not a sexually violent predator.