Anthony Knight pleaded guilty March 27 to three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Knight began engaging in sexual conduct with girl in September 2012. In June, 2013 she gave birth and DNA testing confirmed that the defendant is the biological father of the victim’s baby, Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. stated in a news release.
Prosecutors had pushed for the maximum sentence of 15 years behind bars. According to Heck, Knight has shown no remorse and this was his fourth felony conviction.
Over the objection of prosecutors, the judge sentenced Knight to 30 months in prison.
FIRST REPORT: May 1
A 43-year-old Dayton man likely will spend less than a third of the 15-year maximum sentence for sex crimes against a minor that included impregnating the teen girl.
Anthony D. Knight pleaded guilty earlier this week in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to three third-degree felony counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Each count carries a minimum of one year and a maximum of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Steven Dankof on May 27.
Knight will be classified as a Tier II sex offender, meaning he must register his address twice a year for 25 years after he gets out of prison.
He was to stand trial on Monday, but decided to plead guilty. He signed the plea form and waived his right to a trial.
Dankof told Knight and his counsel that if he planned to sentence Knight to five years or more based on information in the pre-sentence report, then Knight could withdraw his plea. Dankof said that, for now, he did not plan to sentence Knight to five years or more.
Knight sexually assaulted the victim between Sept. 1 and Sept. 30, 2012 at a residence on North Kilmer Street in Dayton.
Officials have said that when the girl’s mother found out, she called police. The girl was at least 13 years old, but younger than 16 at the time. The man’s paternity was confirmed by lab results from the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab, documents show.
Knight was indicted by a grand jury last September. He has previous convictions for illegally carrying a concealed weapon and non-support of dependents.
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