ITHACA, N.Y. — A McLean man will be placed on supervised probation for 10 years after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a young child.
Joseph S. Ingrahm, 62, was sentenced on the charge of first-degree sexual abuse in court on Friday.
On Jan. 18, 2018, Ingrahm was left alone in a room with a 5-year-old girl. He claims she sat down in his lap on her own. A woman entered the room and witnessed him touching the girl’s genitals over her clothing with his fingers. She confronted him and removed the child from the room, according to court records.
Related: McLean man indicted on charges of sexually abusing child
Ingrahm contended in court that he had simply been attempting to remove the girl from his lap and had been caught in a compromising position that had been misconstrued. He stated the only reason he was pleading guilty to the charges was because he wished to spare his family from having to take the case to a public trial.
He will be placed on supervised probation for 10 years, with provisions such as no contact with persons under the age of 18 years old, no consumption of alcohol for the duration of the probationary period, and completion of a mandatory sex offender treatment program.
The defendant’s attorneys asked for an exception to the first provision, as Ingrahm’s job requires him to occasionally enter onto school grounds. Judge John C. Rowley granted their request.
Judge Rowley stated that our goal as a society should be the protection of our youngest and most vulnerable population, and that Ingrahm had “violated that trust” in a truly sever manner that could not be undone.