Man sentenced to 60 years for sex crimes

CELINA - A Celina man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to 12 felony sex charges, including sexual battery and pandering obscenity involving a minor.

Wesley Kempton, 36, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual battery and three counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, all second-degree felonies, and six additional third-degree felony counts of sexual battery. As part of his plea bargain, 34 other felony charges, which included rape, sexual battery and pandering obscenity with a minor, were dropped.

According to court documents, Kempton engaged in sexual conduct with his victim for years, with the earliest charge dating back to when the victim was 10 years old.

Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Ingraham said a presentence investigation had found the victim has suffered serious psychological harm and physical pain due to Kempton's actions, the victim's age at the time and the nature of their relationship. The investigation also found that Kempton had shown no "genuine remorse" for his actions and recidivism was likely.

Mercer County Prosecutor Matthew Fox pushed for "significant and consecutive sentences" for each offense due to the nature and severity of the offenses and the dates on which they were committed.

Addressing Kempton before handing down his sentence, Ingraham said, "The court can only conclude that, based upon this information and what you have acknowledged you have done, the crimes for which you stand adjudicated guilty and for which you are going to be sentenced and convicted today are egregious and beyond the court's comprehension of decency."

Kempton was sentenced to definite, consecutive prison terms of seven years for each count of second-degree felony sexual battery, five years for each count of pandering obscenity involving a minor and 48 months in prison for each count of third-degree sexual battery. The total sentence amounts to 60 years in prison.

If released, Kempton would be subject to five years of post-release control for each of the 12 charges on which he was convicted.

Kempton was also registered as a Tier 3 sex offender, the most severe designation in Ohio.

Ingraham explained the sentence, saying the multiple offenses committed by Kempton were done as part of a course of conduct, and the harm caused was great enough and unusual enough that a single sentence would not reflect the seriousness of the offenses. Additionally, with Kempton's history of criminal conduct, the court believed it necessary to impose consecutive sentences to protect the public.