Keith West pleads guilty to sodomy of child
COVINGTON, Ky. — Keith Edward West, 43, pleaded guilty to three counts of First-Degree Sodomy and two counts of First-Degree Sexual Abuse, all involving the same child who was under 12 years old at the time. In exchange for the plea of guilty, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Maria Schletker is recommending a 20-year prison sentence. West must serve a minimum of 17 years in prison and complete sex-offender treatment before being eligible for parole.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said “We’d prefer to put child molesters in prison forever but this spares a young child from testifying about the worst days of the child’s life in a courtroom full of strangers.” Sanders said cases like this require prosecutors to balance the child victim’s mental health with the benefits of lengthier sentences. “Under Kentucky law, even a life sentence would be eligible for parole in 20 years,” Sanders said. He said the guilty plea avoids any potential for appeal and also requires West to register for life as a sexual offender upon release.
The case began when the child victim disclosed the abuse to a counselor about a year after it stopped. The counselor referred the victim to the NKY Children’s Advocacy Center (NKYCAC) who notified Ft. Mitchell Police. After a forensic interview of the child at the NKYCAC, Ft. Mitchell Police Detective Jill Stulz and Commonwealth’s Detective Nick Klaiss interviewed West at the Ft. Mitchell Police Department. During the interview, West admitted to multiple acts of sodomy occurring over the course of approximately five years between 2014 and 2019 when the victim was under 12 years old. The offenses would usually occur while West watched the victim while the victim’s mother was at work. The victim’s mother cut ties with West in 2019 due to his drug use. After being away from West for about a year, the child disclosed the abuse.
West is scheduled to appear before Kenton Circuit Court Judge Patricia Summe for formal, final sentencing on November 24, 2020 in Courtroom 6A of the Kenton County Justice Center. “
Posted on Friday, October 9th, 2020 @ 1:43PM
Categories: Blog, Commonwealth's Commentary
