Both plead guilty to sexual imposition, a third-degree misdemeanor, in Warren County Common Pleas Court and were sentenced to 60 days in jail and put on two years probation. The jail sentence was suspended for both and they were ordered to stay away from the teenager.
The agreement allowed the Kilburns to plead guilty to misdemeanor sexual imposition charges in exchange for dropping the felony child endangerment charges.
Alice Kilburn entered an Alford guilty plea, which means she admits there is sufficient evidence existing that a judge or a jury could find a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, yet asserts her innocence. According to the facts read in court, Alice Kilburn had sexual contact with the 16-year-old youth at Clark HomePlace on McKinley Street in South Lebanon during the summer of 2009.
Jeff Kilburn waived the reading of the statement of facts during his portion of the hearing.
The couple will be classified as Tier I sexual offenders and will be ordered to report their residence to the sheriff’s office annually for the next 15 years.
Neither Jeff or Alice Kilburn made a statement when Judge Robert Peeler asked if they had anything to say before sentencing.
Jeff Kilburn ran the religious ministry meeting house and played with his band Kilburn Wildgrass at the facility, which closed July 10. Last summer, Jeff Kilburn said health issues forced him to shut the doors at HomePlace. He denied any wrong doing at that time.
The Kilburns live in Massie Twp., where Jeff Kilburn is pastor of Believer’s Ministries, which meets at Caesar Creek Pioneer Village Meeting House, according to his Web site.
Adams County Prosecutor Aaron Haslam served as a special prosecutor in the matter because the Kilburns are related to Warren County Commissioner Mike Kilburn.
The father of the youth involved, said, “everything they got (at sentencing) was what I agreed to.”
He said it’s hard for teens to figure things out at that age, but that his son is doing well.
“He (the victim) trusted them since he was a baby and they abused him,” the father said. “It was wrong.”
The Kilburns did not comment after the hearing as they had to meet with the probation department, their lawyers said.
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