Hillsboro man sentenced to 50 years to life for child rape
Matthew Jones. (Highland County Sheriff's Office photo)
A Hillsboro man was sentenced Thursday to at least 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of rape.
Matthew O. Jones, 37, was indicted by a Highland County grand jury in April and charged with three counts of rape, all first-degree felonies; and one count of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony.
According to court records, Jones pleaded guilty Thursday to the first two rape counts in the indictment, with the other two charges dismissed.
The rape charges alleged that Jones “did engage in sexual conduct” with a victim under the age of 10 during an approximate one-year period.
Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Jones to an indefinite term of 25 years to life in prison on each count, to run consecutively, for a total of 50 years to life. Jones had 118 days of jail time credit.
Jones will also be classified as a tier III sex offender, requiring registration every 90 days for the rest of his life.
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