CLEARFIELD – A Winburne man will serve up to 20 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a special needs girl.
During sentencing court Monday, Timothy E. Hockenberry, 62, pleaded guilty to one felony count of statutory sexual assault related to an incident in May of 2021 at his home.
According to the affidavit, a witness walked in on Hockenberry while the girl was performing a sexual act on him. He apologized to him, saying: “I’m sorry. I won’t do this again.”
Prior to sentencing, the victim’s mother said the girl who was 13-years-old “did not deserve this.” She explained that since the incident, the victim passed away from a health problem. She asked Ammerman to give Hockenberry the maximum sentence.
Deputy Assistant District Attorney Trudy Lumadue noted that the victim had problems communicating. She called the witness walking in on this incident as “a blessing in disguise” because Hockenberry’s actions became known.
She also noted that Hockenberry had been evaluated and was found not to be a sexually-violent predator to which Ammerman commented “if this does not make you a sexually-violent predator, I don’t know what does.”
Ammerman sentenced Hockenberry to 54 months to 20 years in state prison with three years consecutive probation. He must complete sex offender counseling.
To justify his reasoning for giving this maximum sentence, Ammerman added that it was due to the victim having physical/mental disabilities.
Even though Hockenberry was not named as a sexually-violent predator, he will still have to register his address with authorities under Megan’s Law.
Hockenberry was originally also charged with four additional felony charges.