Dec 31, 2025 By Jon Andreassi 3 min read

Sighs of relief from family members quickly turned to exasperation as the man accused of sexually assaulting at least six boys withdrew his guilty plea after hearing his sentence.

Leo Adam Jonathan McIntyre III appeared before Judge Traci McDonald Monday for his sentencing in six separate criminal cases. McIntyre had negotiated a plea with the Washington County district attorney’s office that would have seen him spending 10 to 30 years in prison on 15 felony felony counts of child sex abuse.

After about an hour of victim impact statements, McDonald ultimately rejected the plea and gave McIntyre a total sentence of 32 to 64 years with 21 years of probation.

Before the judge could finish adding together the years for each charge, McIntyre’s attorney Lyle Dresbold moved to withdraw the guilty plea. Dresbold argued that since McDonald rejected the negotiated plea, McIntyre has the right to instead take his chances with a jury trial.

After reviewing a transcript related to the case and conversations with the attorneys in her chambers, McDonald ultimately allowed the withdrawal. A trial for McIntyre is scheduled to begin April 7.

McIntyre was initially charged in late 2022, and his abuse of the victims is alleged to have occurred for more than a decade.

In June 2022, McIntyre was fired from his job as a swim instructor at Goldfish Swim School in Peters Township. After his arrest school officials said this was due to him “not following curriculum and complying with brand standards.” District Attorney Jason Walsh has previously said there is no evidence any students were victims.

McDonald’s courtroom was filled Monday with family members of the alleged victims. The judge heard seven victim impact statements, mostly from the mothers of the boys McIntyre is accused of assaulting. Marie Christinis, director of crime victim services in Washington County, read most of the statements on their behalf.

“You took away their innocence for your own sick, sadistic reasons. You have turned so many lives upside down,” read one of the statements.

Other statements described McIntyre as a “master of manipulation” and a “wolf in sheep skin.”

McIntyre sat in the courtroom in shackles and an orange jumpsuit as he unflinchingly listened to the statements.

Before doling out the sentence, McDonald directly addressed McIntyre. She described how through the process she had seen, “people who look crestfallen, hurt, angry,” in her courtroom.

“I see it from people who are here on your behalf. The only person I haven’t seen any reaction from is you. Not in your face. Not in your response. Not in anything you’ve done,” McDonald said.

Bruce Antkowiak, a law professor at Saint Vincent College, said it is not out of ordinary for defendants to continue to trial when a judge rejects a plea agreement. And while he suggested that a judge may typically reject a plea earlier in the process, Antkowiak said they are allowed to take victim impact statements and their perception of the defendant’s reaction into consideration when making a final decision.

“Everything has ultimately proceeded in the way it should have proceeded,” Antkowiak said.

Though the victims’ family members were briefly relieved at McDonald’s sentencing decision, there were audible groans as McIntyre’s lawyer asked to withdraw the guilty plea.

McIntyre’s fate will now be in the hands of a jury. Before the trial in April, there will be a pre-trial conference on March 23, and jury selection will take place on April 6.