Prison sentence imposed for rape of Vandergrift child
A Greensburg man will serve up to eight years in prison for the rape of a 5-year-old Vandergrift girl.
Eric Jermain Emory, 35, pleaded guilty last week to one count of rape of a child for repeated sexual assaults of a girl in 2019 and 2020 and three additional charges of indecent assault in connection with allegations made by a now 18-year-old Allegheny Township girl for incidents she claims occurred in 2011.
Westmoreland County Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio on Monday imposed terms of the plea bargain finalized last week just before jury selection was to begin for Emory’s trial. The judge ordered Emory to serve a mitigated sentence of 4-to-8 years in prison and register as a convicted sex offender for the remainder of his life.
Assistant District Attorney Pete Caravello said, without the plea deal, Emory faced up to 12 years behind bars.
“We agreed to a mitigated sentence to avoid the risk of a trial,” Caravello said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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