Sutersville woman pleads guilty to sex offense
A Sutersville woman pleaded guilty to sexual assault and corruption offenses after she was charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy she was helping with schoolwork.
Ashley Sherry, 23, was accused of sexually assaulting the teen and using marijuana with the juvenile while working with him on remote school assignments when schools were closed during the pandemic in May 2020.
The teen reported that Sherry gave him marijuana to smoke while they were watching a movie. Police said that on two occasions, Sherry instructed the boy to touch her and she performed sex acts on him. Sherry asked him to not tell anyone about their activities, the teen said.
Sherry pleaded guilty to felony charges of statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors. A more serious count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and a misdemeanor charge of corruption of minors was dismissed as part of the plea deal.
Sherry faces up to 17 years in prison when she is sentenced this year, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said.
Defense attorney Frankie Walker told the judge Sherry rejected a plea deal that would have required her to serve at least six to 20 months in jail.
Sherry will remain free on an unsecured $25,000 bond until she is sentenced in about three months.
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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