GREENFIELD — A Greenfield man who admitted to sexually assaulting a young girl was sentenced Thursday to four years on home detention.
Ryan Nutter, 30, 874 S. Sycamore Drive, will serve 12 years on probation, the first four of which will be served on home detention.
He is also required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Nutter accepted a plea deal from prosecutors in which he pleaded guilty to two counts of child molesting as Level 4 felonies. He originally was charged with six felony counts of child molesting in the case.
At a hearing in August, Hancock Circuit Court Judge Richard Culver questioned prosecutors about the terms of the proposed deal, noting a man accused of similar crimes in the same court the week prior had received a 10-year prison sentence at the state’s recommendation, while Nutter would serve no jail time under his plea agreement.
Culver halted the public hearing to speak privately in chambers with attorneys for the state and defense; when the parties returned, Culver ordered Nutter to testify in detail about what he had done to the victim, then approved the agreement.
Nutter told a judge through tears during the hearing that he sexually assaulted a young girl who was often left in his care. He testified he touched the girl inappropriately on several occasions and forced the girl to touch him as well.
The victim was the second girl in as many months to come forward and accuse Nutter of misconduct.
Nutter was acquitted of child molest by a Hancock County jury in July in the first case but pleaded guilty to the same charge a few weeks later in the second case; both girls made similar allegations against Nutter, according to court documents.
Nutter was found not guilty at the end of a two-day trial in July that focused on the first girl’s case.
Nutter was first arrested in February after calling 911, telling dispatchers he wanted to speak to an officer about false allegations he said were being made against him, court records state.
A teenage girl had told friends Nutter forced her to touch him inappropriately while they were alone together, records state; she later relayed those claims to police, who arrested Nutter.
Nutter was arrested a second time in April while awaiting trial after Hancock County Sheriff’s Department officials received a tip he might have harmed another young girl, records state.
The victim in the second case told investigators Nutter touched her inappropriately when she slept overnight at his home. The abuse continued for several years, she said.
The girl said Nutter ordered her not to tell anyone what happened, and she was scared to report the crime to an adult, court documents state.
Prosecutor Brent Eaton declined to comment on the terms of the plea deal.