By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
The Barren County Circuit Court case involving the rape and sodomy of a juvenile has been resolved due to a plea agreement.
During his court appearance Monday, Dec. 8, 27-year-old Mark Hanks pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy charges — both of which are class A felonies. He took an agreement sentencing him to 20 years in jail. Barren County Circuit Judge John Alexander said both charges carried a 20-year sentence, but that they would run “concurrently,” meaning they would total 20 years.
In addition to the time and possible court costs, Alexander said there were extra conditions Hanks would need to meet.
“That sentence would also require five years of conditional discharge…undergoing a sexual offender risk assessment — [Hanks] would be responsible for complying with any treatment recommendations, [Hanks] would be required to register as a sex offender, [he] would be ineligible for parole consideration until [he] has served 85 percent of the imposed sentence….”
“Conditional discharge” essentially means 5 years of supervision to ensure no further violations, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney John Gardner.
Hanks’ final sentencing date is March 9 at 10 a.m.
Hanks was arrested on Jan. 25 by Barren County Sheriff’s Deputies at T.J. Samson Community Hospital after deputies responded to a possible sexual assault of a 7-year-old. The juvenile said Hanks “exposed her to sexual contact” on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 during an interview with the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center in Bowling Green, according to prior reporting.
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