CLEARFIELD, Pa. (GANT) – A plea agreement in a sexual assault case was rejected after the victim’s mother addressed a judge in court Monday.
(This article was provided by our News Partner GantDaily.com.)
Keith Allen Billotte, 49, of Morrisdale was originally charged with felony counts of rape mentally disabled person, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse person with mental disability and aggravated indecent assault, as well as misdemeanor indecent assault person with mental disability in June 2022.
The plea agreement was for only the misdemeanor charge and for a one-year sentence.
The mother addressed Judge Paul Cherry explaining that Billotte had actually text-messaged her, making sure she was not coming home in March 2022.
Billotte thought he would be an “easy target,” she stated. Later her son apologized to her saying he did something wrong. His story of what happened that day “never changed” as he went through repeated interviews and under went an intrusive examination.
After the charges were filed, Billotte ran, she stated.
After he was caught, his preliminary hearing in the case was in March of 2023, according to court documents.
The mother, who was visibly upset, stated that no one had asked her if she was okay with the plea deal.
“A minimum one-year sentence is a joke,” she said before pointing out that her son had 19 months of therapy.
“One year is hardly justice.” She added that she now understands why parents become vigilantes.
“Clearfield County failed my son miserably.”
She then asked the judge to have the new sentence run consecutive to Billotte’s current state prison sentence of two to five years for a probation violation.
“He’s an opportunist who preys on the vulnerable,” she noted. She also questioned how a case can go from a felony rape to a misdemeanor indecent assault.
After he rejected the plea, Cherry stated that his decision was due to the mother’s words.
Billotte’s case will now go back on the trial list.
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