Man charged with thousands of sexual abuse charges sentenced
BELLEFONTE (AP) – A Maryland man charged with over 1,000 counts of sexual abuse was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison on Tuesday.
The Centre Daily Times reports 60-year-old Richard Garmat, of Rockville, abused a child he knew from the time the minor was in fifth grade until the child was 15 while living in Boalsburg. Garmat pleaded guilty to charges that included unlawful contact with a minor and aggravated indecent assault without consent in October.
Centre County Judge Pamela Ruest determined Garmat should be classified as a sexually violent predator after hearing expert testimony from a psychologist serving on the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board.
Ruest ordered Garmat to complete sexual offender treatment in addition to serving his 20 to 40 year sentence as part of an open plea deal.