Point Marion man gets 12 to 24 years for raping a child
A Fayette County judge on Monday ordered a Point Marion man to spend up to 24 years in jail for raping a young child.
Jason Travis Linderman, 31, was convicted in August of two counts each of rape of a child, sexual assault and corruption of minors.
It was his second trial, after jurors in April failed to reach a verdict on the same charges.
In addition to spending the next 12 to 24 years behind bars, Linderman will also be required to register as a sex offender, appearing quarterly at an approved registration site for the rest of his life, according to the order handed down by Judge Steve P. Leskinen.
Linderman’s sentencing had been delayed pending an evaluation by the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board (SOAB).
Evaluators take into consideration a defendant’s criminal, medical and behavioral history, as well as conduct interviews to determine whether a defendant meets the criteria of a sexually violent predator.
Linderman reportedly refused the interview portion of the evaluation.
The SOAB did not find him to be a sexually violent predator.
Such a finding would not have affected the length of Linderman’s incarceration, nor would it have increased the amount of time he’s required to register as a sex offender. Rather, the sexually violent predator classification triggers a community notification response by state police, as well as lifetime mandatory sex offender counseling.
The victim, now 9 years old, came forward years after the incidents occurred with the allegations that Linderman had sexual intercourse with her twice when she was 5 or 6 years old, and that the encounters were violent, according to testimony.
The Herald-Standard does not publish the names of victims of sexual crimes.