A Nelsonville man was found guilty Wednesday of having sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl in 2012.
Nicholas Dearing, 27, was charged with one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a felony of the third degree, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
Dearing “knew the other person was thirteen years of age or older, but less than sixteen years of age,” according to court documents.
Although he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in May, he was found guilty this week and sentenced to a maximum of 18 months in prison and could pay a fine of up to $5,000, according to court documents.
He will be sentenced April 3 and is ordered to avoid the victim and her family. He is also subject to restitution and five years of post-release control.
Dearing allegedly had sex with the teenaged girl between July 31 and Sept. 8, 2012, according to court documents.
Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said in an email to The Post that the two knew each other, but stopped short of further comment.
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