Matthew Storer pleaded guilty to sexual battery and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor at a pretrial Friday.
Charlotte Caldwell | The Lima News
WAPAKONETA — Matthew Storer, of St. Marys, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual battery and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor Friday in the Auglaize County Common Pleas Court.
Judge Frederick Pepple explained the maximum prison term is 60 months and the maximum fine is $10,000 for each of the three counts. The prosecution and Storer’s attorney gave a joint recommendation for Storer to receive 24 months for each count for a total of six years in prison. After five years, Storer would be eligible to apply for judicial release.
Storer will also be considered a tier III sex offender, so he will have to register with law enforcement every 90 days for life.
Pepple then revoked Storer’s bond. Before Pepple sentences Storer, a pre-sentence investigation will be conducted.
Auglaize County Assistant Prosecutor Benjamin Elder read off some of the specifics of what occurred in 2018, 2021 and 2023 in open court. He said the 17, 14 and 13-year-old victims were forced to perform fellatio on Storer.
After the common pleas hearing, a municipal court hearing was held for Storer on violating probation, for which he is currently in jail. Judge Andrew Augsburger ordered he stay in jail for the approximately 300 days he has left to serve.
Storer’s attorney previously filed a motion to sever the common pleas case into three separate trials, one for each victim, and on July 30 Judge Frederick Pepple only granted the third count to be tried separately of the five counts with which Storer was originally being charged.
Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.
