The jail time was stayed pending an appeal by Rohde’s attorney Peter Certo Jr., who said after the sentencing that he was disappointed with the outcome.
“I think the statute is clear that if there is no verification, no corroboration of the complaining witness’s testimony, there should be no conviction and during the trial, there was virtually no corroboration, so we’re not happy with that, which is why we’re filing an appeal,” Certo said.
A Montgomery County jury found Rohde guilty of the charge on Dec. 24.
Rohde originally faced two felony counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, but those charges and two other sexual imposition charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
The charges against Rohde came after a 15-year-old girl told police that Rohde assaulted her for two years.
Rohde, who also was sentenced to pay court costs and supervision fees, denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty.
The victim’s mother spoke in court before Rohde’s sentencing. She said her daughter has had to deal with pain, embarrassment and has gone through numerous therapy sessions since she revealed what Rohde did to her.
“Her father and I felt that it was extremely important that our town know what happened to (my daughter) because there could be other victims out there,” the woman said. She went on to say that her family has known Rohde’s family for eight years. “He knows what he did. He chose to lie to his family and himself. He could have done the right thing and admitted his actions and that he has a problem…My family has paid the price for his lies and his family as well.”
Rohde has until Jan. 24 to register as a Tier I sex offender with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, but Certo said his client was going to register the same day he was sentenced.
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