A Vandergrift man will serve up to 10 years in prison for raping a child.
Brian Redmond, 33, pleaded guilty Friday in Westmoreland County to charges of rape and two other counts in connection with sexual assaults prosecutors said occurred in late 2016 and early 2017.
Police also charged Redmond with driving the 9-year-old child to the home of another man who is accused of also raping the child.
In addition to the rape case, Redmond pleaded guilty to charges of child endangerment and simple assault, allegations that arose from a separate incident in which police said he beat the same boy with a knotted rope. He was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail for that offense in a sentence that will run concurrent to his sentence for the rape.
Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Calisti said the negotiated plea bargain included a prison sentence that was below state guidelines. Those guidelines called for Redmond to receive at least 84 months behind bars. The deal, she said, was reached to ensure a conviction against Redmond.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said she approved the plea bargain because the victim and his family approved the deal.
“It saves this minor child from having to testify at trial,” Bilik-DeFazio said.
Rape and other charges are still pending against Joseph Patrick Baker, 43, of Vandergrift, in connection with alleged sexual assaults against the same child.
