A Cutler area man previously jailed for sex crimes against children was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison - the maximum possible sentence - on charges he abused three children, one as young as 2 years.
Prosecutors said Kenneth E. Goff, 48, of State Route 550, has shown no remorse since his March arrest and has gone as far as to blame the victims and their parents for the abuse.
"He told (court officials) the 12-year-old wanted it and that she was coming on to him," Assistant Washington County Prosecutor Kevin Rings said. "He also blames the adults for leaving him alone with the child."
The parents of two of the victims addressed Goff at the Thursday sentencing in Judge Ed Lane's Washington County Common Pleas courtroom. They described the children as "shells" of what they were before the abuse.
"Whatever sentence you receive is nothing compared to a child living in fear," said the mother of one of the victims, who is now 6. "She wakes in the middle of the night screaming. When I get to her room, she is rocking back and forth, uncontrollably sobbing from nightmares."
Asked if he had anything to say prior to the imposition of his sentence, Goff said: "Um, I apologize. I'm sorry. This stuff happens. It bothers me just as bad. It bothers me just as bad."
Rings said police were alerted to the abuse after Goff's ex-wife noticed the man huddled and "uncomfortably close" to one of her children.
Rings said the woman agreed to place a phone call to Goff, which was monitored and recorded by police. During the call Goff made several incriminating statements. Interviews with other family members and children Goff may have had contact with led to the discovery of additional abuse.
According to police, Goff had sexual contact with a 12-year-old family member in February, a 2-year-old child in August and a 3-year-old child in May 2007.
In exchange for the guilty pleas, Rings said he agreed to dismiss two of the six charges against Goff. Specifically, he was charged with six counts of third-degree felony gross sexual imposition. All of the charges alleged improper touching or fondling.
Goff was released from prison in 2005 after serving a five-year sentence for molesting a 12-year-old girl. Because of his prior conviction, the 20-year sentence imposed by Lane is mandatory, with no chance for early release. Goff can appeal his sentence, though.
