EATON —A West Alexandria man was sentenced last week to more than two decades in prison for sex crimes committed against two young children.

On Wednesday, Dec. 20, Carl Bechtol Jr., 54, of West Alexandria, was sentenced in the Preble County Court of Common Pleas to an indefinite term of between 22 years and 27 ½ years in prison. Bechtol was arrested on March 19, 2022 and indicted in April of 2022 for sexual offenses he perpetrated upon two identified child victims. The State of Ohio alleged that Bechtol had begun sexually abusing the children when they were 9 and 10 years of age, and that these crimes continued until they were reported to law enforcement, according to Preble County Prosecuting Attorney Martin Votel.

Bechtol was initially charged in a 21-count indictment which included “Sexually Violent Predator (SVP)” specifications with respect to each victim, according to Votel. He had been scheduled for trial on Monday, Dec. 11, but rather than proceed to trial, chose to plead guilty to two counts of rape of a child under the age of 13, felonies of the first degree.

The remaining counts of the indictment and the SVP specifications were dismissed by agreement, according to Votel. The case was handled by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Sean Brinkman on behalf of the State of Ohio, with attorney Kyle Lennen representing the defendant.

In addition to the prison term, Bechtol will be required to serve five years on Post Release Control (PRC) upon his release from prison and will be required to register as a Tier III sex offender, requiring his registration every ninety 90 days for the remainder of his life.

“Child sex crimes are among the most serious crimes which can be committed. What is stolen from child victims can never be reclaimed, and for this reason, the justice system can struggle to make our victims whole,” Votel said. “In this case — as in all victim cases — the victims and their families were consulted and were instrumental in fashioning the plea resolution of the case. The defendant will be imprisoned for decades, and if he lives to see release, will be a registered sex offender under the supervision of the Adult Parole Authority. Hopefully, the final resolution of this case will help bring the victims and their families a measure of peace and closure, and will help to protect other children in our community.”

Bechtol remained in the Preble County Jail at press time.